Lost In A Dark Place
by goshangie
Summary: Rick and Michonne have known each other as kids but when Michonne moves to New York and Rick stays in Kings County their friendship falls apart. After 10 years she's back but they are both strangers to each other now. Will they be able to work through their shaky relationship or will anger get in the way? A/U. No zombies.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

It had been about a week since Michonne had been back in Kings County and she was nowhere near close to being finished unpacking. It was her first time back home since she left for New York after high school. She wasn't the least bit surprised that everything and everyone still looked exactly the same just with a little bit more wear and tear. Since she has gotten back she had managed to avoid most people by staying inside. On the rare occasions she stepped outside she was met with wide eyed stares. She knew people remembered her but now she was different. When she left Kings County she was happy, full of hope, excited to see what was to come in New York. But now, she was harden, cold and she met people's stares with glares daring them to say something to her. After ten years in New York she was tired and struggling to feel happiness again and so she decided maybe coming home would be best for her. But with all the stares she was now getting she wondered if she had made the right decision.

One person who she had yet to see, thankfully, was Rick Grimes. Rick and Michonne were always close their friendship starting as kids but when she decided to go to New York and he stayed in Kings County they argued and couldn't manage to bring their friendship back from it. The last time they talked there had been many curse words dropped and middle fingers held high. They were both stubborn despite being young and neither one of them could manage to pick up the phone and call the other one. Even though she had had yet to see him she had heard her mumblings of who he is now. From what she had gathered from the town's not so discreet gossiping, Rick was angry. He was divorced, she didn't even know he had gotten married. He was now on paid leave for an indeterminate about of time from being a sheriff, something that Michonne knew was his dream career even as a young child. And now apparently Rick had a son, who was going to be with his mother for 2 weeks.

Michonne walked over to her kitchen and opened her cabinets and sighed. She was already out of coffee and had to step outside again and deal with the stares _again._ She contemplated going without coffee for the day but quickly shook that thought as a yawn began to surface. It was about 10 in the morning on the Friday and she hoped there was a chance the people of this town were either at work or at home but she knew this was probably wishful thinking. She was already dressed in tight denim shorts and a loose fitting top. She slipped on her flip flops and sunglasses as she walked out the door, grabbing a small purse. She was headed to a local diner to first get a cup of coffee and some breakfast and then to the supermarket to get coffee for home.

Her walk to the diner was met with stares, something she was starting to get a bit used to, but luckily there seem to be last people out today. She entered the diner and slipped into an empty booth. There were a few heads inside but she kept her eyes down on her menu not wanting to initiate a conversation with anyone.

"Hey dear, what can I get yo-Michonne! I thought I heard rumblings of you comin' back to town. How are you?" Asked the waitress excitedly with a strong southern accent.

Michonne sighed and rolled her eyes, her dark sunglasses shielding her true feelings. She looked up at the woman and couldn't place her but she obviously knew Michonne. "Fine." Said Michonne simply.

The woman paused for a moment an awkward smile crept on her face, this was not the Michonne she had remembered and it seemed like the rumors were true. "Alright….Well what can I get ya?"

"Coffee. Black. Scrambled eggs. Toast. That's it." Michonne handed her menu over still not attempting to start a conversation. She saw a slight nod and an eye roll as the waitress walked away. Michonne finally took off her sunglasses once the waitress left, leaning back in her seat and glancing out the window as she heard shouting.

"Go fuck yourself!" "Fuck me? Do you know who the fuck you're talking to?" Michonne heard two distinct voices outside as the men slowly came into view and one of them was Rick. Even after 10 years, his voice was different but in some ways remained the same and Michonne recognized it instantly.

There was a rumbling in the dinner as people saw the commotion happening outside.

"Here we go again…."

"He's off the handle."

"He's gonna kill someone one of these days."

"I don't understand why he hasn't been locked up yet. So what he was the sheriff! If that was any of us we would have been sitting in jail by now."

Rick and this other man were now toe to toe, screaming profanities at each other. _So the rumors were true_ Michonne thought to herself. Her coffee was brought over to her and she sipped it as she got up. "I'll be right back." She said to the waitress, stepping out of the diner.

Rick and this man were now rolling around the floor and seemed like Rick was the one winning this fight. Michonne sighed as she watched their fight, one hand on her hip. "Rick." She said firmly. She saw him slow down, he was on top of the man and his fist was cocked back as he was about to punch the man again but before he could do so he looked up at her his brow furrowed, a look of confusion as he saw her and took her in.

While she looked harden, her face was still young the only major change was the addition of her waist length locs. Rick on the other hand looked like hell. He had small bandages on his face and now there were new cuts from his current fight. He had a beard that also didn't help in aging him. His beard was sprinkled with grey hairs and his curls that still looked the same from years ago laid messily on his head, sticking to his forehead due to sweat. His blue eyes that Michonne always loved did not hold any happiness but anger and loneliness. He continued to stare at her as he got off the man.

"Michonne?" He asked roughly.

"What is this Rick? I leave you for 5 minutes and you turn into some bad ass?" She asked sarcastically, with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you...what are you doing here?" He asked, running his hand through his hair to push it off his forehead. The man who he was fighting was still on the ground, a group of people now surrounding him. He yelled curses towards Rick but he ignored them, his attention now solely on Michonne.

Michonne looked back to the diner, seeing her food sitting at her booth. She sighed and turned back to the diner. "Come on Grimes." She said, walking back to the diner hearing Rick's hard footsteps behind her.

"What are you doing here?" He asked again once they were seated.

"You want something?" She asked, ignoring his question taking bites of her food and sips of her coffee.

"Michonne." Said Rick firmly and she can hear the hint of anger in his voice.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "First of all Rick don't' get fucking pissy with me, okay?" There was a pause, "...I'm home. I wanted to come home. So I did. Is that okay with you?"

There was a silence after this as Michonne ate and Rick just stared at her. The other people in the restaurant were staring at them as well expecting some sort of large blowout to start.

"Yeah….that's okay." Said Rick, leaning back on his seat. He heard mumblings of the people in the diner at his reaction but he ignored them. He took a piece of toast from Michonne's plate and smirked when he heard her sigh.

"So you're just beating people up in the streets now?" Michonne asked.

"He said some things…" Said Rick his voice was low but there was anger behind it.

"Like what? Called you ugly and made fun of your hair? You're a grown ass adult Rick get it together." Michonne sounded as if she was scolding a child.

"You don't know shit about who I am Michonne." Responded Rick as he fidgeted in his seat and looked out the window.

Michonne nodded a bit, she agreed with Rick. They were friends for years but now they were different and she didn't know him just like he didn't know her. "You got married?" She asked, changing the topic. There were rumblings of a divorce but she noticed Rick still wore his ring.

"I was. Not anymore." He wasn't going to expand on details and Michonne wasn't planning on asking for any.

"And a son?" She asked, Rick squinted at her clearly wondering how she knew this information. Michonne gave him a smirk, "You know people talk in this town Rick."

He gave her a slight smirk in return, "Yeah I have a son...His with his mother right now." He paused for a moment. "Did you bring any kids back with you?"

Michonne looked at him, her face was stoic but she was sure her eyes gave something away. Anger? Sadness? Grief? She wasn't sure but gave him a slight smile anyways trying to erase it, "No. No kids." She reached into her pocket and took out a 20 leaving it on the table. "Get whatever you want. I gotta go." She said, slipping out of the booth.

"Hey…" Said Rick causing Michonne to pause before walking towards the door. "You're...you're staying for a while?" He asked.

Michonne nodded, giving him another slight smile, "Yeah...I'll be here. Maybe next time I see you, you won't be bashing someone's face in?" She asked with a smirk.

"Yeah...maybe" Said Rick. "See you around."

"See you around Grimes." She said, leaving him at the booth.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

It was 11 o'clock at night and the small town was asleep for night. With all but one person. Rick. He was strolling the streets and enjoying the chill of the night. He found on the nights that Carl wasn't with him he struggled to sleep and he the cool of the night helped calm him. He also enjoyed being out here because no one else was. He didn't have to deal with stares from others, the whispering, the potential fights. He was alone and enjoyed that.

Since his divorce from Lori, Rick's sadness about the situation turned into anger. Anger that pushed everyone away from him. Anger that caused him to be put on leave from his job indefinitely. He sighed, when he was kid he would have never imagined this would be his life. But he also never imagined that Michonne would leave for ten years, not talking within that time, and then come back. He was angry and so was she but he couldn't figure out why. She was the one left. He knew nothing of her life in New York just like she knew nothing of his life in Kings County.

Ten years ago when she left he was mad at her. But mostly hurt. They had talked about staying in Kings County forever and then all of sudden, for what seemed like no reason at all, she wanted to go to New York. He never stopped wondering what she was doing, who she was with, if she stayed in New York or if she had moved somewhere else, if she was happy. But he was hurt and stubborn and refused to be the first one to reach out. He assumed she had forgotten about him and this small town but from what had happened earlier today she clearly hadn't. She even said his name the same but now the sweetness that use to be in it was no longer there.

He was walking along a street full of houses when he stopped and heard that same familiar voice.

"You stalking me now, Grimes?" Asked Michonne dryly. She was sitting on her porch swing, a glass of Merlot in her hand.

He smirked and walked up to her porch, "You're the one stalking me. This is my street." He leaned against her railing, blocking her view with his body.

"Move." She said firmly.

He paused for a moment and then moved over just a bit. Michonne sipped on her wine before filling the silence, "Don't you have a home? A bed to sleep in? What are you doing out here?"

"I can ask you same thing." He responded.

"I'm not wandering the streets like a bum. I'm sitting on _my_ porch." She took another sip of her wine.

"...It's too quiet in my home." He said, finally responding to her question.

Michonne nodded a bit, as if she understood. "The whole fucking place is too quiet." She said with a sigh.

"What's New York like at night?" He asked.

She gave him a slight smile and moved over on her swing, indicating she wanted him to sit next to her and he did. "At this time of night people were just going out, music would just start blaring from the bars and clubs. While people here are sleeping in New York everyone is just waking up….It was great." She had a soft smile on her face as she looked out on the quiet street and it was clear her thoughts were no longer here in Kings County.

There was a silence between them as Michonne inwardly reminisced. "Why'd you come back here then?" Rick asked roughly.

Michonne sighed, annoyed that she was brought back to Kings County due to Rick's words. "We already went over this Rick."

"You left." Said Rick anger beginning to come to the surface of his voice.

"Oh fuck you Rick. What was I supposed to do stay here and do what? Become like you?" She scoffed.

"You think just cause you ain't fighting you're not like me?" He chuckled dryly. "You're bitter Michonne. You're angry. You left and you still ended up like me." While Rick felt like he didn't know Michonne anymore he could still read her easily and he could tell that she wasn't much different from him.

"Fuck you. You think you have it bad, Rick? You got a divorce. Get over yourself, life moves on."

Rick smirked to himself, "So you've had it worst in New York?"

Michonne glared at him but stayed silent. _Yeah….she did_ he thought to himself. He could tell that something had happened to her but he knew she wasn't gonna tell him anytime soon, if ever. There was that silence again.

"Why are you here? On my porch Rick? Are you just looking for a fight?" Michonne asked after several minutes.

"Would you believe me if I said I'd missed you?" Asked Rick.

Michonne laughed bitterly, "Maybe if this was 10 years ago and we were still friends."

"You didn't call." Replied Rick.

"Neither did you." She responded.

He sighed and glanced at her through the corner of his eyes. How was it possible that she left and came back prettier than before? Angrier than before? He bit down on the corner of his lip, forgetting he had a fresh cut on it. "Fuck." He said, tasting a bit of blood, wiping it with his thumb.

Michonne glanced at him and sighed, getting up. "Come on Rocky let's clean you up." She said, waving him towards the door as she opened her home to him.

He followed behind her, glancing at her living room as they walked inside. There were still many unpacked boxes they had to navigate through but overall her house was very large compared to most houses in the neighborhood. _That New York money must have been good to her_ he thought to himself as they landed in her kitchen which was just as large as the rest of the house.

"Come here," she said softly, as she placed a damp rag on his lip. They stayed like this for several moments, Michonne lifting the rag every minute or two to see if the bleeding had stopped. Once it had she finally took the rag off. "You need ice for that?" She asked.

Rick shook his head. He couldn't remember the last time someone was there to clean him up after a fight. "You didn't have to do this."

"And do what? Let you bleed all over my freshly painted porch? I don't think so….You need to stop fighting Rick." She said firmly, one hand on her hip.

"I don't think I can." Said Rick with a low voice as if he was afraid others would hear.

"Why? Cause you're angry? We're all angry Rick. I wake up every day and I want to fight everyone but I don't. You need to get it together before you lose all the friends you got left."

"It might be too late on that front...I think you're the only friend I got left," he said with a smirk knowing that statement would annoy her.

Michonne rolled her eyes and sighed, "Friends don't go 10 years without talking to each other."

"Have you let anyone in your house yet?" Asked Rick.

"No." Responded Michonne.

"Let them on your front porch?"

"...No."

"Have you even talked to anyone?"

Michonne rolled her eyes yet again, "what are you trying to get at Rick?"

"I'm saying I'm the only person you've actually talked to here. The only person who has stepped in your house." He shrugged, "I'm the only friend you got."

Michonne glared at him and began guiding him back towards the door, making it clear she was done with this conversation. Once they were at the door Michonne opened it for him. "We are not friends." She said simply.

Rick smirked as he stood in her entranceway, "keep telling yourself that. Sweet dreams," he leaned in to give her a kiss on the forehead, something he use to do often ten years ago. Michonne sighed and maintained the frown that was stamped on her face but accepted the soft kiss.

"Goodnight Rick." She said closing the door behind him.

 **A/N: Whaaaaaaaat new story?! Okay, I'm not gonna lie I did not think that I would get another story idea for a while but this one came to me a few days ago. If you are reading fallingforyou do not expect the same richonne here haha. They will become canon but they are both dark and angry and kind of sad. I don't have this one as planned out as fallingforyou soooo let's just see how this goes lol (srsly tho). If you recognize the title it's cause it's from "Can't Live With the World" by Laura Mvulva! This story isn't inspired by this song but I do feel like it reflects richonne in this fic very well so def go listen to it! Let me know what you guys think and what you wanna see throughout this story! Fallingforyou will be updated tomorrow! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

The following day Michonne was determined to get rid of the boxes that were cluttering her home. She was a fairly organized person so the mess in her living room was not pleasing her. She had soft 90's R&B playing in the background and held her coffee mug in one hand as she opened boxes with the other. She was still in her pajamas, a black short sleeve oversize t-shirt that wore as a dress on her along with pajama shorts that you barely saw due to the length of her shirt and her locs were down. She sighed when she heard a knock on her door and knew it only had to be one person.

She walked over to the door and opened it, a hand on her hip and a frown on her face. "What do you want?" She asked.

Rick smirked at her, looking her up and down. His eyes lingered on her legs for a moment and then finally met her eyes. "Whatcha up to neighbor?"

"Unpacking. What do you want?" She asked again, dryly.

"Need some help?"

"No."

There was a pause as Rick leaned against her doorway. They were both stubborn and she knew that if she didn't let him in he would just stay on her porch especially since he wasn't working and his kid wasn't home. She also knew that he was more likely to go looking for a fight when he was out of her sights and despite her assertion that she and Rick were not friends she didn't want him fighting anymore. She sighed and turned back into her house, leaving the door open so he can follow behind her, knowing that there was probably a cocky smirk on his face.

"Open boxes. Read the labels on them. And be quiet. I want to hear my music." Said Michonne, firmly.

Rick shrugged as he began to open boxes, "Yes boss."

They stayed in silence for several minutes as they opened boxes. The song "I like the Way (The Kissing Game)" by Hi-Five began to play. Rick grinned widely and looked up at her. This song had played at their high school prom and Rick remembered that night like it was yesterday. He had spent the night with Michonne, as they were each other's date, and this was one of the songs they had danced to.

"You 'member this song?" He asked her.

Michonne sighed and looked up at him, of course she had remembered it. "Yes Rick."

"Wanna recreate the moment?" He asked with a smirk as he walked over to her.

"No." She said firmly. "Why would I want to recreate the memory of you stepping all over my feet?"

Rick chuckled a bit, "Now you know I wasn't that bad."

"Oh but you were." She said with a smirk.

"Wanna see if I improved?" He asked, still moving closer to her. He stopped about a foot in front of her.

Michonne glared up at him but didn't move back, "A lot has changed in ten years but I doubt your dancing is one of them."

Rick smirked and leaned into her, remaining planted in front of her. "I likeeee the wayyyyy you kiss me when we're playing the kissing game" He roughly sang into her ear.

Michonne laughed lightly, it was what felt like her first genuine laugh in a long time. She smiled at him and stepped back, "Get back to work Grimes."

Rick smirked, but stepped back from her walking back over to his side of the room. He saw one box that was unlabeled and he lightly kicked it in order to get her attention. "This one ain't got a label girl."

Michonne peered over him, swallowing when she saw the box. It was the only box that was unlabeled and there was a reason for that. She couldn't remember where she had placed it and hoped that was in one of her boxes that were in her bedroom. But that clearly wasn't the case. She walked over to him and picked up the box, bringing it up to the top of her stairs.

"What's in it?" Rick asked, calling up to her.

"Nothing." She said quietly yet firmly.

"Why are you being so damn protective over a box?" He asked, a bit annoyed and confused.

"If it's just a damn box, why can't you just leave it the fuck alone?" She asked, her voice beginning to get rougher as she went back down the stairs.

"Why are you lying?" He asked, his weight now shifted to one leg as he squinted at her.

"Why can't you just shut the fuck up Rick? Leave it the fuck alone. We aren't going to talk about it. Today was going fine and then you show up here on _my_ porch. Why? So we can be friends again? I'm not the same girl who danced with you at prom and I don't want to be. I just wanted to come home but you're here forcing yourself in my life. Why? What do you want from me?" She asked, bitterly as she glared at him.

There were several minutes of silence between them as they stared intently at each other. She was clearly angry and it was hard for Rick to understand why. Whatever this box held was something of importance to her but she also wasn't willing to share it with him. "Sorry," Rick said breaking the silence between them. "...I missed you." He said for the second time in the span of two days.

Michonne sighed, taking a seat on her staircase. "Yeah you're showing it real well Rick."

Rick walked over to her but kept a distance in between them. "Why'd you leave?"

"I have the same reason that I had ten years ago Rick. This town is too small. I wanted to see what else the world had to offer. I didn't see a future here for me." She said with a slight shrug, listing off her reasons that for her seemed simple.

"But I was here." There was a bit of hurt in his voice and Michonne recognized it.

"Rick…" Said Michonne quietly but with firmness still in her voice. "My world didn't revolve around you. My world still doesn't revolve around you. I wanted to meet new people. Learn new things. I wanted to see if I can become a better person."

"And did you?" He asked.

Michonne chuckled dryly, "don't act like you don't already know the answer."

There was a still in the room as both of their eyes pointed to the floor. Finally, Michonne looked up at him "I missed you too Rick. But I was hard headed. And then when I finally wanted to call I thought it had been too long of wait for a sorry to mean anything."

Rick smiled softly his eyes still on the floor as she spoke, he looked up at her "that was sweet girl."

"Oh god," muttered Michonne rolling her eyes as she got up. "Can we get back to work now there's only a few boxes left."

Rick chuckled at her annoyance, "You're bossy."

"Yeah well some things don't change." She said with a bit of a smirk.

000000000000000

 **A few hours later**

Michonne and Rick were now finally done unpacking all of the many boxes and now they were sitting back on her couch.

"I'm hungry." Announced Rick.

"You got a fridge at home don't you?" Asked Michonne dryly.

Rick smirked, "I was thinking maybe we can get something to eat together? That pizza place we use to go to is still here."

"I paid for the meal last time I'm not doing it again." Said Michonne as she glanced over at him.

"I didn't ask you to do that."

"You're either gonna pay for my slice of pizza or you're gonna eat by your damn self Grimes." Said Michonne as she folded her arms over her chest.

"...Go put on some real clothes and let's go."

"You paying?"

Rick sent a glare over to Michonne and she laughed lightly. "Alright calm down Rocky, I'm gonna get dressed." She said as she got up and began walking towards her stairs.

After what felt like forever to Rick his stomach growled loudly, "Hurry up!" He called up the stairs. He heard a loud sigh and then a few soft steps.

"Do me a favor. Stop shouting in my home." Michonne said as she began to walk down the stairs, she was wearing a dark denim pencil skirt with a white tank top tucked into it and black strappy ballet flats. Her hair was up in a high bun and it looked like she had put a little makeup on.

Rick paused, taking her in. "...that's what you wear to get pizza?"

Michonne rolled her eyes as she made her way down the stairs. "You know in New York people don't walk around looking like hobos."

"So I look like a hobo?" He asked with a raised eyebrow as they walked towards the door together.

"If the shoe fits." Said Michonne with a smirk and a shrug.

Michonne was now a few steps in front of Rick and his eyes slowly went down her body, stopping on her ass. "That outfit looks good on you…" He said with a smirk.

Michonne stopped and turned back to him, glaring. "Walk in front Rick."

"What did I do?" He asked feigning innocence.

"In. Front." Said Michonne firmly.

Rick chuckled lightly and moved in front of her. "No looking at my ass back there." He said, wagging a finger at her.

"Trust me you don't have to worry about that." Michonne said, even though he couldn't see her there was a smirk on her face.

"It still smells the same in here." Said Michonne her nose scrunched up as she and Rick entered the pizza place and walked over to the counter, eyeing the pizzas in the windows.

"Nothing like Kings County pizza," said Rick with a sarcastic grin on his face. It was no secret that the pizza here wasn't that good but it was the only pizza place in town so the people of Kings County dealt with it.

Michonne sighed, "I miss New York pizza. Get me pepperoni." She said as she turned away and grabbed a table that was over in the corner.

As Rick ordered Michonne heard the usual murmurs that seem to surround them but she had learn to ignore them pretty well. Unless they were right in front of her.

A man around mid-30s, who may or may not have gone to high school with them (Michonne couldn't remember), sauntered over to her his friends watching a few tables away with small smirks on their faces.

"Michonne right?" Asked the man. Michonne looked up at him and glared, but said nothing.

The man let out a small smile at her silence, "its Chris 'member? We went to King High together."

"You and everyone else in this town." She said as she folded her arms over her chest. She glanced over to Rick for a brief second and his eyes were on them but he stayed where he was.

Chris chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, just like everyone else here. How was New York? That's where you went right?"

Michonne rolled her eyes, clearly he knew the answers to his questions so why he was bothering to ask she couldn't understand. "What do you want?" She said in return.

Chris raised an eyebrow at her, "well...I guess what they're saying is true. New York made you a little feisty, huh?" He had a smirk on his face and his tone was creepy and flirty.

Michonne smirked and leaned in, "Fuck. Off. You redneck piece of shit."

Chris chuckled, clearly not taking her words or demeanor seriously. "You know in high school I always wanted to ask you something...just how tight were you when you rode Rick's dic-"

Suddenly the man dropped to the floor. Michonne glanced over, confusion on her face as she saw that it was Rick that had caused the man to drop in the way he did. Now Rick was dropped to his knees straddling the man as he punched him repeatedly. Michonne saw his knuckles began to get bloody and she couldn't tell if it was his blood or Chris's.

"Rick." She said gently, stopping him from punching the man once again. He looked up at her worry, anger, and sadness in his eyes.

"That's enough." She said with a slight nod as she got up from her seat. She held out a hand for him to help up from his knees and he took it, his hand slightly shaking as he did so.

She gave him a small smile and led him back to the pizza counter. A young boy, not older than 16 stood behind the counter with his mouth open. "We're gonna need that to go." She said with a slight smile.

0000000000000

 **A few moments later**

Rick was now back in Michonne's home. They were in her kitchen, him standing and her sitting on her kitchen island. His hands were still covered in now dried blood as they sat in silence and ate their pizza.

"This pizza is horrible." Said Michonne breaking the silence as she slid off the island and went to wash her hands. "Do you still like the crust?" She asked, when she didn't hear a response she turned off her faucet and turned to him. He shook his head no but stayed silent. She shrugged and went to throw out the remaining crust of her pizza as she did so she noticed that Rick still hadn't touched his food. "Oh come on, it's not _that_ bad." She said, stopping in front of him.

Rick looked up at her and put his pizza on the counter, sighing as he did so. "Why are you doing this?"

Her brow furrowed at his words. She turned away and walked past him. She grabbed a rag, dampen it and brought it back to him. "Give me your hand." She said, softly. He squinted at her but after a few seconds he relented and put his hand in hers as she gently cleaned off the now dried blood off his knuckles.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked again.

Michonne sighed, looking down as she gently cleaned his knuckles. "You were in a fight with some asshole and the only reason the fight started was because I was there, so I'm cleaning you up."

"He's a son of a bitch who I would've ended up fighting anyway. Whether you were there or not." Said Rick.

"Yeah, whatever Rocky." She looked up at him and gave him a small smile. She gently dropped his hand and walked away again. She grabbed some ice from her freezer and placed it into a zip lock bag. She walked back over to him and took his hand again, placing the ice on top of it.

"I don't need ice." Rick said even though he didn't move his hand from hers.

"Yes you do." Said Michonne as she held the ice on his hand.

"...What else did he say to you?" He asked

"It's just gonna make you mad Rick."

"Tell me."

Michonne sighed and looked up at him, clearly he was a glutton for punishment but she decided to tell him anyway. "He was just being dumb. I think his friends put him up to it. He was being flirty I told him to fuck off. I think you heard the last part."

Rick sighed, "what if you were alone?" There was worry in his voice and Michonne responded to it with a small smile.

"Nothing would have happened Rick. I'm not a weak girl. I know how to defend myself if something could've happened. But nothing would of." There was a moment of silence between them. "Thank you." She said softly.

"For what?" He asked.

"I don't need defending Rick. But thank you for doing so, he needed to get his ass kicked." She smiled gently at him and there was another comfortable silence with them.

"So you my friend now?" Asked Rick with a smirk.

Michonne laughed lightly, "Wouldn't you like that?" She asked with a smile. She began to turn away from him as the ice had quickly melted and she was going to grab some more. Before she can walk away Rick grabbed her waist and pulled her close to him.

"Rick." She said softly but she didn't pull away from him. He felt one of his hands around her waist and the other go up her back, lightly grazing her locs that were now down since they had come home. He rubbed his nose against her neck, inhaling her scent.

"I missed you." He said again, softly against her neck.

"You're annoying." Said Michonne softly. Despite her words she didn't move and she could feel her heart racing as he pressed against her.

"Mm…" He said against her neck. He gently kissed her neck and he swore he could physically feel her melt against him. He trailed up her neck to her jaw, stopping right before her lips. "Do you want this?" He asked, glancing down at her lips and then up to her eyes.

"If I didn't don't you think I would have stopped you already?" She asked, smirking a bit.

He smiled against her lips and kissed her deeply, slowly dipping his tongue on her mouth. He felt her arms wrap around his neck as they were previously just laying on her side and he smiled at this. He gently lifted her and placed her on the kitchen island behind them all while continuing their kiss.

Michonne's hand ran down the front of his shirt and stopped when she got to the bottom of it slipping her hand underneath his shirt, grazing his bare chest. They pulled away for a second so he can pull of her shirt after doing so he unhooked her bra. He paused for a moment and took in her half naked body.

"Stop acting like you've never seen a girl naked Grimes." Said Michonne playfully with a smirk.

He grinned at her and then deeply kissed her again. He pulled away and kissed down her neck again now going down to her breast alternating between kisses and gentle nibbles.

Michonne smiled at his kisses, her eyes closed and she played with his shirt more aggressively now. Rick pulled away and smirked up at her, taking his shirt off. He moved back to her and pulled her skirt up with one swift movement, he once again started with his kisses but now he was trailing up her thighs. He could feel a shaky breathe come out of Michonne as he did so and he smirked against her skin.

He gently opened up her legs a bit more as he slid her black underwear over to the side. He glanced up at her and she had her eyes closed and head back. He grinned widely at this sight and then leaned in to gently suck on her womanhood. Michonne gasped at his contact and he took this is a cue to continue. After a few moments of this he slipped one finger into her and she gasped again and mumbled something incoherent.

He smiled and moved his face back up to her while slowly thrusting his finger in her. "Rick…" Quietly said Michonne his name coming out as a bit of a whimper. He smiled at the way she said his name and leaned in kissing her rougher than before. He quicken his pace inside her and she began to moan into his mouth as they kissed. He could feel slight shakes from Michonne as he continued and after a few seconds she pulled away from his kiss. "Oh my god…" She said under her breathe as her breathing began to quicken. Rick felt her tighten and release as she came around his finger. He smiled and slipped his finger out of her.

"Wow who knew Rocky had some other skills going on." Said Michonne with a sheepish smile on her face as her breathe returned to her normal place.

Rick roughly pulled her closer to him with a grin and she began to unbuckle his pants. "Is that my new nickname now?"

"Mhm" she said now distracted with pulling down his pants and she smirked when she saw that his boxer briefs were black like her underwear. She pulled them down and scooted closer to him and opened her legs to him.

Rick took her legs opening as his cue and he slowly slid his manhood into her, hearing that gasp from her again. He wrapped his arms around his waist and laid his head into the crook of her neck as he thrusted into her.

"Shit…" Michonne said quietly. Her eyes closed and mouth slightly open. She wrapped one arm around Rick's neck and gripped his arm with the other, digging her nails into him.

Rick quicken his pace feeling as though he would be finished soon and he was urging her to do the same. "Come for me…" He mumbled against her neck and smirked when he could tell that she was close as she digged her nails into his arm some more.

"Rick…" Said Michonne, moaning softly again. He felt her tighten again and he groaned softly feeling himself begin to release himself at the same time as she did. Their breathing was quicken and as they finished they stayed in their current positions as if they were glued together.

After several moments and the breathing in the room has quieted Rick pulled away from her.

"This wasn't my intention when I got a kitchen with an island you know."

Rick chuckled lightly, "what else are you supposed to do with it?" He asked as he pulled up his boxer briefs.

"Nothing now that we just fucked on it." Michonne said as she finally slid off her island, pulling her skirt back down and grabbing Rick's shirt and slipping it on. She turned to him and put her hand on her hip, "I hope you don't think we're dating now."

Rick smirked _of course_ he thought to himself. "Are we at least friends now?" He asked.

Michonne smirked as she began to exit the kitchen, she lightly waved her hand to indicate that he should follow her and he did. "Acquaintances at best and that's when you're not annoying me." She said with a small smile as they began to walk up her stairs.

"We going for round 2?" Asked a widely grinning Rick.

Michonne paused and turned to him on the stairs, "actually Rocky I'm going to sleep and I was gonna let you sleep in my bed being that we just did it in my kitchen. But if you keep it up with your commentary there is a porch swing with your name on it." She said with a tight smile as she turned back away from him and continued up the stairs.

Rick grinned widely at her comments but stayed quiet as they entered her room. He went to her bed and laid down as he watched her night time routine, she slipped off her skirt and wiped her makeup off, she ran an unidentifiable oil through her hair and finally she put her hair up into a messy bun and wrapped a silk scarf around her hairline. She turned around to him after doing all this and sighed when she saw him watching her, "stop being a creep Rocky." She said with a smirk as she slipped into bed.

"How long you gonna hold onto this Rocky name?" Asked Rick.

"Forever." Michonne said with a small shrug as she turned to her side, her knees bent. "If you cuddle with me I'm elbowing you in your ribs."

Rick chuckled lightly, he peered at her from the side noting how her eyes were beginning to close. "Whatever you say boss...goodnight."

Michonne smiled softly her eyes still closed, she reached out to touch him on his chest. "Night Rocky."

Rick smiled at his new nickname and closed his eyes. He had a lot of restless nights in Kings County in the past 2 years but now he was sure tonight was going to be different.

 **A/N: Okay this chapter was hella long lol. I was thinking of splitting it but I feel like it works better as one. Please don't think that just cause they had sex that now all of their problems are solved, they both still have issues to work through so the angst will continue! Next week I'll be computer less for vacation but hope to have the next update up by next saturday! Thank you for the follows/faves/reviews and please continue to let me know what you think! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

It was the next morning and Rick had just woken up. He turned over in bed and sighed slightly when he saw that Michonne was no longer in bed and his clothes from last night were folded on a chair. He ran his hand through his hair and got up, slipping on his clothes and shoes once he got over to the chair. He could hear the faint sound of music and pans banging down stairs.

He made his way downstairs and followed the noise until he discovered Michonne cleaning downstairs. He leaned against the entrance to the kitchen and watched her. She was unaware of his presence as her back was turned to him and she was cleaning her counters. She was singing softly to herself and lightly swaying her hips. She was wearing a grey pajama romper with a white lace trim that was a bit loose on the top but clung to her on the bottom.

"Hey…" Said Rick finally getting her attention.

Michonne turned and sighed, placing a hand on her hip. "How long you've been standing there?"

Rick shrugged, "Long enough…"

Michonne sighed and rolled her eyes, "you're a creep Rocky."

Rick chuckled, "I gotta go home and change so…"

Michonne nodded as she continued to clean her kitchen. The smell of lemon beginning to fill the room. "Okay." She said simply.

There was a pause between them as Rick watched her again. "Do you want me to come back?"

Michonne smiled a bit to herself but continued to clean not looking up at him, "If you want…"

Rick smiled a bit. She wanted him there and he knew that, even if she wasn't going to explicitly say it. "Alright...I'll be back in like 45 minutes or so."

Michonne nodded again and walked past him, exiting the kitchen. She came back after a minute and put her keys in his hand. "I'll be around cleaning so just come in when you get here." She began to turn away from him and before she can get far he grabbed hold of her waist, pulling her back towards him so they were pressed against each other.

"Kiss for the road?" Rick asked with a bit of a smirk.

Michonne sighed and rolled her eyes, "I'm not your girlfriend Rick."

"I know."

"And yet you want a kiss goodbye?" Asked Michonne with her hand on her hip.

"I do." Said Rick with a smile.

"Who knew Rocky was such a sap." Said Michonne with a smirk.

"Mhm…" Said Rick as he leaned into her and deeply kissed her, sliding his tongue into her mouth. He smiled a bit when he felt her tongue go into his mouth. He kept one arm wrapped around her waist and allowed his other hand to come down and squeeze her ass firmly.

Michonne let out a small giggle and pulled away from him a bit. "Get out of here Rick."

Rick grinned but pulled away from her and nodded. "Don't miss me too much."

"I won't," quipped Michonne. "Try not to get into a fight in between my house and yours."

Rick shrugged as he walked over to the door, "I'll try." He said with a small smile then leaving her house.

Michonne smiled a bit as she watched him exit her home. She looked back at her kitchen and was satisfied with how it now sparkled and she considered this room now done. She had also cleaned the living room when Rick was sleeping and now that he was going to be gone for a bit it was time to clean upstairs.

She made it to her room, noting how Ricks scent filled the room and she sighed out of annoyance, noting how he was quickly taking over. She walked over and opened a window. She made her bed and tidied up her room. Once she was done she walked over to her closet and at the bottom of it was that unlabeled box from the day before.

She let out a breath and bent down so she was on her knees. The box remained closed since she had left New York and now that Rick seemed to be over at her house quite a bit she hadn't had the chance to be by herself and open it. She bit down on her lip and hesitated before she took a pair of scissors and cut the tape that was keeping the box closed.

Inside were various baby objects, most of them were fairly small but there were few that were meant for a child to grow into to. There were a few toys and most of the clothes were a pastel blue. On the top was a sonogram of a baby boy and Michonne held it in her hand. Letting out a deep sigh. "I'm sorry…" She said quietly as she held her sonogram.

She could feel tears beginning to come up and she sighed, "Fuck." She wiped her eyes and placed the sonogram back in the box. And then suddenly in full force she was sobbing and her chest was heaving up and down. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" She shouted to herself. She hated crying and since she left New York she hadn't cried at all. She thought maybe she had moved past the death of her child but now it was like all those days of not crying were catching up to her all at once and she hated it. Thoughts of her child were rushing at her, screaming and she couldn't manage to stop them. She forcefully pushed the box into the closet and rested her hands on her upper thigh as she began to breathe deeply in order to finally stop crying.

She could hear the faint click of her door opening and closing, "Where you at boss?" Called Rick from downstairs.

"Jesus fucking Christ…." She mumbled to herself. She sighed and got up from the floor, closing her closet once she was up. Her room had an adjoining bathroom and she entered it. She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed, instantly annoyed with herself. Her eyes were bloodshot red as if she hasn't slept in weeks _or_ like she had just been crying her eyes out. She turned the water on and splashed some on her face.

"Michonne?" She heard Rick call out again. "Why the fuck is this house so big?" He wondered out loud.

Michonne turned off the water and looked at herself in the mirror again. Her eyes were still red but not as much as before. She figured this would have to do and made a mental note to pick up eye drops in case she would have to cry like this again. She dried off of her face and exited her bathroom just as Rick was stepping into her bedroom.

"This place is like a fucking maze…" He said, looking around the room and then back out her. He noticed the hint of red in her eyes and walked over to her. "You okay?"

"Yes I'm fine Rick." Michonne said, walking away from him so he couldn't look at her as if he would read the truth in her eyes.

Rick watched her walk away and out of the room, squinting back at her. He paused for a moment and then followed behind her. "So you done cleaning today or should I slap on some yellow gloves?" He asked with a bit of a smile attempting to lighten her mood.

"I'm done." Michonne said firmly as she walked back down the stairs, not looking in his direction.

"...you sure you're okay?" He asked, now reaching out to touch her shoulder.

Michonne sighed and shook his hand off of her shoulder. "I'm fine Rick. Fuck, just leave me alone okay?" She asked, finally turning back to him as they got to the bottom of the stairs.

Rick stared at her, clearly confused, his mouth slightly open. "Did I do something or…?" He asked trying to think back to when he was here.

"Just leave it the fuck alone Rick. Why do you do this to me? Why can't you just drop shit? There is nothing wrong just stop." Michonne said, anger and annoyance in her voice.

Rick squinted and furrowed his brow, "should I go?"

Michonne sighed, "I don't care Rick do whatever the fuck you want." She said walking away from him and going back into the kitchen.

Rick watched her walk away and shifted his weight to his other leg. There were several minutes of silence until Rick had decided what he would do. "Yeah...I'm gonna go. Let me know when get tired of being an asshole." He said with a sigh.

"Go fuck yourself!" Michonne shouted from the kitchen.

"Fuck you!" Rick shouted back. He left her home and slammed the door.

000000000000000

 **About 2 hours later**

It was a little under 2 hours since Rick had left Michonne's home and he was still angry. He went home and paced around his house unable to sit down. He was confused and irritated and he wanted to take it out on someone. It seemed like the longer he held onto what happened with Michonne the angrier he became. He finally decided to leave the house and he was looking for a fight.

He walked the streets of Kings County with his fists balled and the look in his eyes was daring anyone to say something to him. He was beginning to think he had actually run out of enemies until he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

"You wanna sucker punch me again, man?" Shouted Christopher who was towards the end of the street, walking towards Rick. He had one black eye but still seemed determined to get back at Rick for the fight at the pizza place the day before.

Rick smirked to himself at the voice and turned around to face Christopher. "Come here and I'll give you another black eye."

"You're a real son of a bitch Grimes." Growled Christopher who had now caught up to where Rick was. "You think you're hot shit now that you're little girlfriend is back in town?"

Rick smirked, "keep talking and see what's gonna happen to you." He stepped closer to the man so now they were toe to toe.

"Am I supposed to be scared of you? Let me tell you something Grimes you may have everyone else shook in this town but not me." Said Christopher.

"And why not you,huh?" Asked Rick, his voice thick with sarcasm.

"Because you're bullshit sob story is just that. Oh woe is me the girl I was dating went to New York. Oh woe is me I'm a divorced sack of shit. Blah, blah, blah. You ain't the only who goes through shit the only difference between you and the rest of the people in this damn town is if we did half the shit you did we would be locked up." As Christopher spoke he left several one finger jabs on Rick's chest.

Rick sighed, quickly growing bored of the man's speech. This wasn't the first time he heard these things and he knew it wasn't going to be the last so he had stopped listening a long time ago. "Are you done talking shit now?"

Christopher glared at Rick for a moment. "Yeah I'm done asshole." He said as he reared his first back to land a hard punch on Rick's nose.

Rick stumbled back at the hit but smirked once he regained his composure. Most people in Kings County weren't known for their fighting unless they were law enforcement so it was rare he fought someone that had the ability to shake him but clearly Christopher was different. Rick walked back to the man, his lip slightly twitching as he punched him back landing it on the already black and blue eye.

The two men fought for several minutes and there were now many onlookers. They were both getting equally good hits and therefore both looked equally horrible. With one more punch Rick had knocked the man down in a similar fashion to the way he did in the pizza shop. He was now straddling the man again and punching him but this time he could feel that he was more tired than before since it was more of a fair fight. Rick paused for what felt like a slight moment in between punching Christopher and then in a second Rick was on the ground and now he was he the one being punched and straddled.

It felt like time had slowed down as Rick was being punched repeatedly and he was beginning to get desperate for this fight to be done with. Finally before another punch can land on his face Rick pushed his head back and then propelled himself forward in order to head-butt the man. The head-butt caused Christopher to groan and had successfully made the punching stop as Christopher had now rolled onto the ground cradling his head.

Now that they were separated people began to walk over to them with more of their attention focused on Christopher then him. Rick let out a small groan the pain of the fight was now beginning to get to him. He sat up slowly and paused, catching his breath and working up the energy to get up. After several minutes he finally got up, letting out a groan, and began to walk home. He was in pain and knew tomorrow would be worst but a small part of him was relieved. He no longer felt any anger towards what had happened earlier. Now he was calm.

000000000000000000

 **Several hours later**

It was now nighttime and Kings County was quiet. Michonne was alone in her home and as much as she didn't care to admit it, she felt guilty. She didn't want Rick to leave earlier but she was upset. Mad at herself for allowing herself to be sad again. Mad that she was still sad despite what she tried to tell herself. Mad that her baby was no longer alive. It all made her mad and she took that out Rick which she was now regretting.

She sighed as she sat on her couch. She knew this could easily turn into New York all over again and she didn't want that to happen. She enjoyed his company and his affection and missed it more than she would like to admit. She paused for a moment and then finally got up, she went upstairs and quickly changed into a pair of black leggings and an oversized pajama shirt. She slipped on some flip flops and left her home. She wasn't exactly sure of where Rick lived but she knew he was somewhere on her street so she walked down her block. She smiled a bit to herself when she saw a familiar figure sitting on a porch.

She walked up to his home but stopped when she got to his small set of stairs. "Hey…" She said, gently.

Rick glanced over at her direction and sighed, "Hey…" He grumbled back.

"Can we talk?" She asked.

"I don't want to argue with you Michonne…." Said Rick, he picked up the beer bottle that was next to him and took a sip.

"Me neither." Said Michonne.

"What the fuck was that this morning? What happened?" Ask Rick with a sigh.

There was a pause between them, "...I'm sorry." She said softly. "I'm going through some shit…"

"What kind of shit?" He asked, glancing over at her again.

"Bad shit." Replied Michonne. "Can I come up?"

Rick nodded and moved over on the bench he was sitting on so she can sit next to him. She sat down next to him and glanced at him. She noticed new cuts and bruises on him now that she was closer and sighed a bit. "Look at me," she told him. He turned in her direction, her eyes widen a bit when she saw all of him. He had several band aids all over his face, it seemed like there was a new cut on his lip and a dark circle around his left eye. "Rick…" She said softly.

"I'm okay." He responded.

"You look like shit." She said, still taking in his appearance. "What happened?"

Rick shrugged a bit and finally turned his face from hers. "Just a fight is all."

"What happened?" Michonne asked again, now more firmly.

Rick sighed as he looked out on his street. "Apparently Christopher is not a fan of getting sucker punched. Who knew?" He asked, his tone a bit sarcastic.

Silence fell between them again for a few minutes. "I'm sorry…" Said Michonne again quietly.

"It's not your fault."

"It is. I yelled at you. You left. So you got into a fight."

"It would have happened anyway."

"Maybe but I could have at least been there for you."

Several minutes of silence fell between them again as Michonne looked intently at Rick and Rick fixed his view on the street before him. "I'm sorry." She said again.

Rick sighed, "You know you can talk to me right?" He asked, turning to her.

Michonne nodded a bit, "I know. It's just some shit….is hard to talk about."

Rick nodded in understanding, "I don't know anything about what happened in New York but...you gotta give me something Michonne. I'm not gonna pry, you know that. And if you don't want to talk now that's fine but I need something. We're different people now I just want to understand why."

Michonne sighed and nodded. The death of her child wasn't something that she wanted to talk about but she agreed with Rick. They were different and in order to have whatever the hell they were work they would have to learn more about each other. There were several minutes of silence and Michonne turned away from him now facing the street. "I had a kid. He died from SIDS and now I don't have a kid anymore. So I came back home. It was…." She paused, biting down on her lip. "It was a lot to deal with it. But I don't want talk about it. I am so fucking tired of crying about it so I needed to just get out of New York. I'll tell you more about it later but….I'm not going to now. And I don't want questions asked about it."

Rick watched her intently, she didn't want to talk about but he had a million questions for her. However, he kept them to himself not wanting to push her away. He slipped his hand into hers and gently kissed the back of her hand as a way to silently tell her _I'm sorry_ and _thank you for letting me in._ Michonne smiled a bit at his kiss, understanding what he meant. "You gotta stop fighting Rocky." She said, after a pause, turning back to him.

"I just...I think I'm angry about a lot of things and I don't know where to put it." Said Rick in a low voice.

Michonne leaned in, laying her head on his shoulder. "You aren't gonna have many people to call friends sooner or later."

"...I have you." Said Rick quietly.

Michonne smiled and pulled away to look at him, "Who told you we're friends?"

Rick let out a small chuckle, "I'm sorry I forgot, acquaintances."

"At best." Michonne said, reminding him with a smirk.

Rick smiled, "At best." He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss on her lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist and gently slid her onto his lap.

Michonne pulled away and smiled, "I'm not fucking you on your porch, Rocky."

Rick chuckled, "Where would you prefer to be boss?"

"A bed would be ideal. You got one of those?" She asked, as she slipped off his lap and was now standing in front of him with a hand on her hip.

Rick grinned up at her, "Yeah, I got one of those." He said as he got up and grabbed her hand, gently pulling her into his home. He led her up the stairs and into the bedroom. He sat on the edge of her bed and pulled her onto his lap again and kissed her deeply again. He slipped his hands underneath the front of her shirt and gently cupped her breast with one hand and his other hand held onto her waist. He smiled a bit when he heard a quiet gasp escape her mouth. They pulled away briefly so he can pull her shirt off of her and he began kissing her jaw and then neck, trailing down until her breasts were in his mouth. Michonne closed her eyes a faint smile on her face as she felt Rick grow underneath her.

She slipped off of his lap and he looked at her a bit confused, "Lay back, Rocky." He squinted a bit at her but did as he told, fully laying down on the bed. She got on top of him, straddling him and scooted back a bit and began to unbuckle his pants. She felt Rick's eyes on her and she smirked at this. She unzipped his pants and moved them down and then did the same with his boxers. She smiled widely when she was met with his dick that was covered in pre-cum. She lightly flicked the head with her tongue and smiled when she heard him mumble something and saw that his eyes were half closed. After a few moments of teasing him she took him into her mouth and heard a guttural moan from Rick. She put on hand around the base of his dick and mimicked her bobbing head movements with her hand.

"Fuck…" Groaned Rick as she continued. He felt like was going to come in a moment and he was attempting to put off his release but he wasn't sure for how much longer. "Wait...wait, wait. Michonne." Said Rick a bit out of his breathe.

Michonne pulled up from him and smiled, licking her lips a bit. "You can't hang Rocky?"

Rick let out a breath he was previously holding onto now that she had finally stopped. "Not with you, I guess."

Michonne let out a light laugh and climbed off of him so she can take off of her leggings and underwear. She walked over to the base of the bed, feeling Rick's eyes on her again. She pulled off Rick's pants and underwear and straddled him again, lingering above him. "You good?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. Rick nodded and bit down on his lip as she slowly slid herself onto him, letting out a small moan herself. She arched her back and gripped his thighs as she swiveled her hips on him.

Michonne let out small gasps and eventually fell forward so her hands were resting right above where Rick's shoulders were. He could feel small sensations of her tightening and releasing against him and he knew that she was close. While still inside her he flipped her so now she was the one on bottom and he was on top. "Rick…" She breathed, into his neck. "Faster." She said as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

He smiled at her words and bucked into her faster than before, almost begging her to be done so he could be done as well. She let out a moan, her face now buried in his neck, as she began to come, letting out small quicken gasps. Once Rick knew she was coming he allowed himself to do the same and quickly released himself into her, also letting out a quiet moan. After a few moments of catching their breathe he slipped out of her and rolled over to her side. "You're gonna kill me girl…" He said after a moment of silence.

Michonne let out a light laugh and turned so she was facing him. "Maybe if you stop fighting you'll be able to hang a little longer."

"Or maybe I should keep on fighting so you come and lick my wounds." He said with a smirk.

"Oh my god…" Said Michonne with an eye roll. She turned back around so that her back was facing him. She moved back and pulled his arm around her waist. "Just for tonight." She said, before he could say something. "Ony cause I feel bad about this morning."

"Can we argue every day?" Asked Rick with a smile as he adjusted to her and lightly kissed her shoulder.

Michonne chuckled, "Go to sleep Rocky."

Rick kissed her lightly on the shoulder again, "Goodnight boss."

 **A/N: Thanks for the reviews/follows/favorites everyone! I'm glad yall are enjoying the story so far and I did another long chapter since you guys enjoyed the length of the last one! Next chapter is gonna have some flashbacks to better understand their past relationship. Now time to respond to some reviews :)**

 **ShunnieIsFine: Thanks! :)**

 **gdyoung59: Lol yes lots of baggage to work through but I agree they do need eachother**

 **Vegaslover: Why you out here predicting the whole story tho? Lol nah but one of your questions has been answered in this chapter and next update you'll get more info. Thanks for liking the story :)**

 **Guest: Thanks! Lol they definitely have had sex before hence why she was not surprised.**

 **Selfyshhluv: Yess I love angst stories too so I am glad you're liking this one! :)**

 **Lavender73: I just like to imagine that it's small town where people gossip. Rick has gotten into fights with a lot of them so they don't like him for that and Michonne is back after 10 years and is standoffish with everyone and doesn't bother to hide her annoyance with them. So therefore they aren't the most liked people right now haha**

 **MichonneGalaxy: You're welcome! :)**

 **Demishaclark77: Next update will let you know more about their history, no worries! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Rick woke up to banging coming from what sounded like his downstairs kitchen. As he was waking the pain from yesterday's fight was beginning to hit him like a brick. He flickered his eyes open, or at least tried to, quickly realizing that his right eye was now nearly swollen shut. He groaned as he attempted to sit up. He sighed and laid back down, realizing that sitting up wasn't on the agenda for today. "Boss!" He called down to Michonne. The banging stopped and there was a silence. "Boss!" He called out to her again, wincing as he adjusted himself slightly in bed as he heard her footsteps approaching his room.

Michonne entered his room, leaning against his doorway wearing one of his shirts and flip flops. Her eyes towards the floor "I'm trying to clean this pigsty you call a home Rick, why are you calling me like you're dying?" She said with a sigh as she looked up and then began to walk over to him her face turning into a frown as she got closer. "Rocky you look like shit…."

Rick sighed and nodded slightly, "I feel like shit."

"I'll go get the ice…" Said Michonne as she turned back around to leave his room. She came back after a few minutes with a ziplock bag full of ice. She sat on the bed and crawled over to him, finally laying on her side as she laid next to him and placed the ice pack on his eye.

"Thanks…" Said Rick with a slight sigh of relief that not only does he have ice to lessen the pain of his black eye but also at the fact that she was here, taking care of him.

"Mhm…" Michonne said with a slight nod. There was a pause between them. "You know I didn't come back home to be your nurse right?" She said with a smirk.

Rick smiled slightly, "maybe I should get you a nurse outfit…"

Michonne rolled her eyes, "I'll kill you before you get the chance." She said with a bit of a smile.

Rick chuckled a bit, wincing as he did so. "Got some more of that ice laying around?"

"Are your ribs broken, Rocky?"

Rick shook his head, "No, just sore."

"How do you know they aren't broken?"

"Cause they've been broken before."

Michonne sighed and rolled her eyes, "Of course they have." She got off the bed and exited the room, coming back again with another bag of ice. She handed it to Rick and he wrapped one arm across his waist to lay the ice on his ribs. Michonne returned to lay back down next to him, "better?" She asked.

"Yes. Thank you." Replied Rick.

"No problem Rocky." Said Michonne. There was silence between them for several minutes as Rick's eyes began to close again. "You remember when Steven Wright tried to fight you in English class and you were so adamant about not fighting and he gave you your first black eye?" Said Michonne with a bit of smirk.

Rick's eyes opened slightly and smirked, "He thought I was flirting with his girlfriend…"

"But little did he know that really you just wanted to fuck me." Said Michonne with a smile.

Rick chuckled lightly, wincing again. "Little did he know…." Said Rick with a smirk. "...I was nervous to ask you out, you know."

Michonne nodded and smiled a bit, "oh yeah I know."

"How could you tell?" Asked Rick genuinely surprised she could tell.

Michonne scoffed, "how can I tell? You were all but sweating! 'Michonne I...uhh...I want to tell you...uh I...umm well…'" Said Michonne mimicking his southern accent.

Rick smiled at her impression of him, "I was not that bad!"

"You were! The only other time I saw you more nervous than that was when you saw me naked for the first time." Michonne said with a smile.

"Oh come on that was a totally different situation!" Said Rick with as much as an eye roll as he could manage.

"You came so fast…" Said Michonne with a wide, evil grin.

"Alright…" Said Rick his face starting to become flushed underneath his bruises and cuts.

Michonne chuckled lightly at his blush, "you've gotten better don't worry Rocky."

Rick smirked a bit at what he took as a compliment. "First true thing you've said this whole conversation…"

Michonne chuckled lightly, "Shut up." She said with a light smile.

00000000000000000

 **12 years earlier**

It was lunch time in Kings High School and Michonne was sitting around a round table with her friends as they ate. There were laughter's and conversations surrounding them.

"I'm positive I failed that exam." Said Michonne with a sigh. They had just finished taking an algebra midterm and it seemed to be the hardest test of the school year.

Sasha, her friend, shook her head. "You say that after _every_ test and then you pass _every_ time."

"I'm sure this time will be different."

"You say that every time too." Sasha responded with a smirk.

"Hey…" Said a voice coming from behind them.

Michonne turned and smiled at the voice, it was Rick. They were friends since they were kids and she always enjoyed his company but felt like since high school started they were not as close as they use to be. Today however she felt like there was some nervous energy coming from him. "Hey Rick, what's up?"

"Uh nothing...can we talk? Umm somewhere...private?" He was nervous and was failing at hiding it, especially now that he was right in front of her.

Michonne shared a glance with Sasha and nodded as she got up. Rick followed behind her both of them stopping once they were in a quiet hallway. "So what do you want to talk about?" She asked as she leaned against a wall.

"Um..well…" He started off, running his hand through his hair and shifting his weight, "I uhh….wanted to ask you...about some things…"

Michonne chuckled at his demeanor and smiled brightly, "Rick, just come out with it I won't bite."

Rick chuckled nervously, "okay well...um...I just wanted to know if you….maybe uh...wanted to go out...together...tomorrow night." His eyes darted around as he spoke not meeting hers until he was done speaking.

Michonne smiled brightly, "do you mean a date, Rick?" She asked, happily with one eyebrow raised.

Rick chuckled nervously and nodded a bit. "Uh yeah, it would be a date."

Michonne smiled widely and nodded. She had liked Rick for a while now but wondered if he had felt the same since they seem to have drifted apart. But now it was clear, he liked her too. She leaned in and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "Pick me up at 8 tomorrow, okay?"

Rick blushed at her kiss and smiled gently, "yeah tomorrow at 8."

Michonne smiled, "see you then." She turned from him and walked away, smiling widely as she made her way back to the table. She glanced back for a moment to see Rick still standing in the hallway and watching her as she walked away.

0000000000000

 **2 years later**

The last day of school was a week ago and now summer has officially started. Michonne and Rick were sitting outside of a local ice cream shop, eating ice cream as they sat by each other. They were now together for 2 years and they were happy. It was their first experiences with love and it beautiful and new for them. And she wanted it to continue but also felt slight dread at the idea of telling him that she was planning on going to school in New York.

She had applied and accepted an offer from Columbia University. Initially she didn't even tell Rick about her application because she wasn't expecting to even get in. But she did. With a scholarship. And ever since she found out she was waiting for the right time to tell him. Now that school was over time was running out and she had finally decided it was time. "So…" she started off, "I'm gonna be going to New York."

"Oh yeah? Where in New York? When y'all going?" Rick asked clearly under the impression that she was going to New York for a short vacation trip with her family.

Michonne sighed, realizing this was not gonna be a short and sweet conversation like she had naively hoped. "No. Not for vacation. For school."

Rick's brow furrowed in confusion. For all he knew all the schools she had applied to had been at most a 2 hour drive away from Kings County and now she was all of sudden going to school in New York. "What?" He asked, squinting at her.

"I applied to Columbia. I didn't tell you because I didn't even think I was gonna get in. But I did. So I'm gonna go." There was a silence between them. "I should have told you earlier and I'm sorry. But I really want to do this. So I am."

Rick stared at her digesting her words. "So you're leaving me?" He asked.

Michonne sighed slightly, "I'm not leaving you Rick, don't act like I'm abandoning you. New York isn't that far from here. We can do a long distance relationship. You can visit, I'll always come down for holidays. It's not going to be that hard."

Rick rolled his eyes and sighed, "I don't want that. I didn't sign up for some long distance bullshit. You told me we were going to school together. See each other all the time. And now you're telling me you're going to fucking New York?"

Michonne sighed. This conversation was quickly going downhill. She felt bad for lying to him but also wasn't going to be scolded by him like she was a child. "Rick, I did want to go to school with you. That was always the plan. I didn't think I was going to get in but this is a great opportunity so I'm gonna take it. And if you don't want to put in any effort into this just cause you can't be bothered to take a 2 hour flight then you can go fuck yourself."

" _I_ don't want to put any effort? Me?" Rick chuckled dryly. "You're the one who wants to leave. You couldn't even be bothered to tell me you're leaving. You have what? 2, 3 more months until you go? Do you want to break up is that why you're doing this shit now? Want a clean break before you leave?"

They held a tense silence between them. There were screams of laughter from children behind them and faint conversations. "Fuck you Rick. I'm not gonna stop what I want to do cause of us. Cause of you. I want to do this. This a great thing for me. I didn't want to tell you earlier because I was afraid this will happen. And it would ruin the rest of the school year for us and I didn't want that."

"No just wanted to ruin the rest of the time you had here." Rick mumbled, not so quietly.

Michonne sighed, "Rick it's not my fault you want to stay in this shitty town. You can come to New York too. You can be a cop there. But you wanna stay here. I wanna better myself and I can't do that here."

"You can't do that with me." Rick responded dryly.

Michonne rolled her eyes, "Oh my god not every fucking move I make has to do with you Rick-"

"-Clearly." He mumbled.

Michonne sighed and got up, "Fuck you Rick. Seriously fuck you. I wanted to do something for me. And I wanted you to support that. And I wanted us to have a great summer but you want me to revolve around you. You are not the fucking sun Rick. You are not. I do shit cause I want to not if you want me to."

Rick ran his hand through his hair and looked up at her, "are we done Michonne? Cause I'm fucking tired."

"Yeah...we're done. Have a nice fucking summer Rick." She said as she turned around and walked away from him.

000000000000000

 **Present time**

Rick and Michonne were now silent on the bed as they both individually thought of their past times together. Michonne looked over to Rick and noticed his ice was now melted. "I'll go get you some more." She said as she got up from the bed.

"I'm fine…" Rick said as she took the melted bags of ice from him.

Michonne pursed her lips together and squinted at him. "Yeah and I'm fucking Queen Elizabeth." She said, sighing and then turning from him and exiting the room.

"...bring me some Advil!" Rick shouted down to her.

"I'm sorry what was that?! I thought you were fine!" Michonne shouted back, her voice sarcastic.

Rick sighed and groaned a bit as he sat up in bed. Michonne entered the room with new ice packs, water and pain pills. She placed his water on his side of the table and then sat back down next to him, giving him his Advil.

"I was starting to think you enjoyed seeing me in pain." Rick said with a slight smirk then taking his Advil's.

Michonne smirked at him, "now I'm not that bad Rocky. You need to eat something before you take those."

Rick groaned slightly at her reminder that he needed to eat, "...Wanna bring me some food?"

"No." Responded Michonne. "But lucky you I made some food when you were sleeping so I guess I can bring you some leftovers." She said with a slight shrug and smirk, slipping off the bed and exiting the room. Coming back after a few minutes with some scrambled eggs and toast for him. "Eat up Rocky." She said, handing his food to him.

"Thanks boss." Said Rick as he quickly ate his food, more so that he can take his pills already and less because of hunger. "I should keep you around more often girl," he said with a bit of smile placing his now empty plate on his bed side table and then taking his Advil.

"You wish." Michonne said with a slight smirk.

There was a pause between them and Rick glanced at her, "what'd you do in New York?" He asked.

Michonne sighed a bit not wanting to discuss her New York life, "I went to Columbia. Graduated. Went to law school. Met someone in law school. Graduated. Got a job at a firm. Worked. Got pregnant. Had a kid. Lost a kid. Came back down here." She said her responses short and dry, not looking at him as he spoke.

Rick sighed a bit at her response. "Any other details?"

"Nope." She glanced over at him then turned away. "What about you Rocky? What were you doing here?"

"Well uh, I became a cop. Like you know. I met a girl who just moved over here cause she went to school about an hour away and she got pregnant after like 1 year of dating so we got married."

"What's the kids' name?"

"Carl," he responded. "About 2 years ago his mother and I divorced. Not the best time for me." He said with a slight sigh.

"Rocky was born?"

Rick chuckled dryly, "yeah he was born…"

"Do you fight in front of your kid Rick?" Michonne asked, turning toward him.

Rick shook his head, "no, no I don't. I'm sure he may hear some things being said every now and then but I make sure I don't fight in front of him. I think he helps keep me calm….like you." Rick said, turning towards her and smiling a bit.

Michonne rolled her eyes playfully and placed her hand on his face to turn his head back so it wasn't facing her. "Calm it down you sap."

Rick chuckled a bit, he slipped his arm down so their fingers were lightly touching. He heard a sigh come from Michonne but smiled to himself when he noticed that she didn't move her hand. "What do you think we would have been like if you would have stayed?"

Michonne shrugged slightly, "I don't know Rick. Maybe we would have stayed together forever. Gotten married. Maybe we would have kids. Maybe they would be alive and well." She sighed a bit, "or maybe, I would have stayed her and resented you. And we would have broken up. And it would have ended badly. Worse than how it did 10 years ago."

"...do you think we were suppose to go through this shit?" Rick asked.

"I don't see how any of this shit is suppose to help us in the long run. You being angry and divorced. Me with a dead kid. If that shit was written in the stars for us it's pretty fucked up don't you think?" She asked, glancing over at him. "But...if none of that would have happened I would have never ended back here. So...who knows."

There was another moment of silence between them. Rick glanced over at here, "I thought about you. I always wondered what you were doing. If you were okay."

Michonne smiled a bit, "the night I brought my kid home from the hospital I couldn't sleep. I should have been sleeping, I was so fucking tired. But it was like...I couldn't take my eyes of this little human I made. And I thought 'what if Rick could see me now?' 'What would he think of me as mother?'" She smiled to herself as she thought back and turned back to him. "I never forgot about you Rick I just...I never had a reason to come back here until some shitty things happened."

After a few moments of silence Rick laced his fingers through her and was happily surprised when instead of getting a sigh out of her he got a small squeeze from Michonne. "I think you were probably a great mother," he said softly.

Michonne sighed a bit at his words and looked up at the ceiling, "Rick let's not do this." She didn't want to slip into a conversation with her as mother or her kid. Because she knew how slippery that path can get for her.

Rick looked at her intently, her face was stoic as she spoke and once again he resisted the urge to ask her more. Instead, deciding on a change of topic "how much did you clean down there?"

"Oh my god, let me ask you how the fuck do you live here? It's a mess." She asked, turning to him.

Rick chuckled, "okay it's not that bad."

"Rick if you wanted to you can eat off my kitchen floor. I don't even want to walk barefoot in yours." Said Michonne, pointing a finger at him as she spoke.

Rick chuckled again, "you're so dramatic."

"Maybe if you invested more time into cleaning then fighting your house will actually look livable." Said Michonne with a smirk.

"How about I just get you the nurse _and_ the maid outfit?" Said Rick with a slight smirk.

"Listen here, Rocky." Said Michonne as she turned fully towards him. "I _dare_ you to go get these outfits. You're gonna end up looking and feeling a whole lot worse when I'm done with you."

Rick paused, "...bondage?" He asked smilingly as wide as he can manage.

"Oh my god…" Said Michonne as she sighed and sat up. "You're so fucking annoying."

Rick laughed, wincing a bit. "I'm sorry, I'm done. I promise. Come back here." He said, tapping the now empty space next to him.

Michonne sighed and looked back at him, but didn't move. "I'm not gonna lay in bed with you all day Rick."

"Not all day. Just for right now. Come." Rick said with a soft smile.

Michonne looked back at him again and after a few seconds she laid back down next to him and Rick took her hand back in his again. "You're such a sap Rocky." She said with a smirk.

Rick smirked at her, "I am not."

"Oh really? On our one year anniversary you put roses everywhere…"

"Alright…" Said Rick feeling his cheeks beginning to burn.

"I opened my locker and they were in there. In my car. In my room. There was some in my closet too. I smelled like roses for weeks. I never asked you...how did you manage to get roses in my car? I never gave you a key."

Rick shrugged a bit, "the same way I got them into your locker. I broke in."

"Oh my god, you couldn't just give me a flower in my hands like a normal person?"

"Um if I recall _someone_ was crying telling me how sweet I was and _someone_ gave me the most amazing blow-"

"-Okay I'm going downstairs now!" Said Michonne as she sprung up from the bed and exited the room.

Rick laughed as she walked out the room, "come back so we can recreate the moment, boss!" He shouted down towards her.

"Next time I come up there I'm killing you!" Michonne shouted back hearing the soft chuckling of Rick as she finally went back to her cleaning.

0000000000

 **A Few Hours Later**

Rick had fallen asleep after a while and Michonne had finally finished cleaning, feeling a bit accomplished. She can hear faint snoring coming from upstairs and rolled her eyes, _I see not everything has changed._ She turned to make her way upstairs to Rick but stopped when she heard his house phone ringing. She looked up and noted how his snoring did not stop despite the now persistent ringing. She sighed and made her way to the phone, an unnamed number flashing on the screen, picking it up. "Hello?" She asked.

There was a pause and then a woman's voice. "Who is this?"

"Did _you_ not call this number?" Asked Michonne instantly annoyed by whoever was on the other line.

There was another pause and annoyed sigh. "Is Rick there?"

"He's sleeping."

Another sigh from the woman. "Well, do me a favor and see if he can be bothered to wake up to answer a call from the mother of his child."

Michonne's eyes widen, Rick's ex-wife. Of course, what other woman would be calling here. _Should have just let it go to voicemail_ she thought. "...Give me a minute." Said Michonne. She dropped the phone from her ear and brought it with her upstairs to Rick's room. She walked over to his side of the bed and dropped the phone on his chest, causing him to jump up suddenly and subsequently groan at the pain it caused him.

"Why are you dropping phones on me?" He asked, half asleep and confused.

"Your wife is on the phone." Said Michonne her voice thick with annoyance, walking back to the entrance of his room and leaning against it.

"Oh….sorry." Rick said, then picking up the phone. "Hey…Yeah no she's...no...yes I know but she….," he sighed, "Look, can we just talk about this later?...Yeah, thanks...Of course I can talk to him…" There was a pause and Rick glanced up at Michonne who was glaring back at him. He mouthed _sorry_ to her and Michonne rolled her eyes and gave him her middle finger in response. Rick sighed a bit, "Hey son...Wow! You did all that?" Rick's face gleamed as he talked to his son. "Yeah?...Uh, no I'm just staying inside today….I miss you...Okay, go have fun. Love you...bye." He hung up the phone and looked up at Michonne who was still glaring at him. "Sorry…" He said again.

"Don't you have a cellphone? Tell her to call that number if she needs you." Michonne said, clearly annoyed.

"Uh actually…" He reached over to his cellphone and confirmed what he thought, "She did call a few times."

"Oh my god…" Michonne rolled her eyes, "Pick up your fucking phone Rick. I don't want to have to talk to her."

"You could have just ignored the call…" Said Rick noticing a glare coming from Michonne like daggers. "Or...I'll just pick up next time…." Said Rick quietly.

There was a silence between them before Michonne began speaking again. "Does she think I'm just some random girl over here fucking you?"

Rick sighed and ran his hand over his face, it was clear that this conversation wasn't going to be over anytime soon. "She just wanted to know who you are…"

"Tell her she doesn't need to know who I am. You're not married anymore you don't owe her shit. _I_ definitely don't owe her shit." Said Michonne, folding her arms over chest.

"I know, I know. I'll talk to her about it, okay? Just...calm down a little, okay? Geez I thought I was rocky here…"

Michonne sighed but dropped her arms and walked over to Rick, sitting on the edge of the bed. "If I have to talk to her again I'm not going to be nice Rick."

"So this is you being nice?" Rick asked with a smirk. Michonne shot him another glare and he put his hands up in defense, "Sorry. Don't kill me, okay?"

Michonne rolled her eyes but wore a faint smile. "How's your kid?"

"He's good, sounded like he was having the time of his life. Gets back next Friday." He said with a smile.

"Thank god, someone else to entertain you. I start work next week, you know. What are you gonna do without me?" Asked Michonne with a smirk.

"Wait outside your job like a sad puppy." Said Rick with a grin.

Michonne laughed lightly, "Yeah, I fully believe that." She scooted back onto the bed and crawled up to him so she was lying beside him. "Are you feeling better?"

"Better now that you're next to me." He said with a smile.

"Bring it down a couple notches Rocky there's only so much sappy shit I can take in a day." She said with a smirk. There was a pause between them again before Michonne sat up again. "I'm gonna go shower." She said as she slipped off the bed.

"Mind if I join you?" Rick asked, looking her up and down.

Michonne shrugged and slipped of the shirt she was wearing and then her underwear. "If you can get up…" Said Michonne turning back to him with a smirk as she left the room.

"Jesus…" Rick mumbled to himself. He groaned slightly as he sat up fully and swung his legs off the bed. He could hear the water turning on and he groaned again as he got up and walked slowly over to the bathroom.

"Took you long enough Rocky" said Michonne as she heard the bathroom door open as she was already under the water.

"You're evil." Said Rick as he slipped off his clothes and then stepped into the shower with her wincing slightly when the hot water hit him.

Michonne smiled and turned to him, placing a hand on his chest "and yet here you are."

"Here I am…" Rick said with a smile as he wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned in kissing her deeply. He slipped his other hand in between them and began to gently touch her bud. He gripped her tighter as he heard a soft moan come from her as they kissed.

Michonne pulled away slightly as he continued to rub her folds, her lips brushing against his as she let out quiet moans. "Turn around." Rick whispered roughly into her ear and she did so her back was pressing into his chest and his erection pressing into her inner thigh.

Rick continued to rub her folds his pace quickening as he took her breast in his other hand. "Rick…" Michonne breathed out, one hand gripped Rick's thigh her nails digging into him and the other hand tightly around his wrist that was causing her to moan. She could feel herself beginning to come undone and she tightened her grip on his wrist as her breathing began to quicken.

Rick gently sucked on her neck as she softly moaned and covered his fingers in her. Michonne released her grip on him after a few seconds and let out a deep breath. She turned back to him and smiled softly as she leaned in and kissed him on the lips. "This is probably not the best idea for your recovery…" She said with a smirk once she pulled away from him.

"Actually...I think this is the best idea for my recovery." Rick responded.

"You're not gonna be saying that tomorrow…"

"I'll live…"

Michonne smiled and gently kissed him on the lips again before pulling away and going to her knees before him. She wrapped her lips around his length and began lightly swirling her tongue around him, pleased when she heard a guttural moan come out of him. She continued this for several moments until Rick found his hands on the back of her head. She pulled away for a moment and looked up noticing Rick's now heavy eyes. She smirked to herself as she then placed her tongue at the base of his length and swirled it up to the tip and heard another moan coming from above. She took him in her mouth again and used one hand to gently touch the base of his dick with the pad of her fingers, she heard another moan from Rick and quicken her pace until after a few seconds she tasted him in her mouth. She pulled away and smiled and looked up at Rick who seemed still be recovering. She got back up, licking her lips as she did so. "You okay Rocky?" She asked with a smile.

"Give me a minute…." He mumbled more so to himself then to her.

Michonne chuckled and turned back to the water so she was directly under it again. "You were the one who wanted to recreate the moment." She said with an innocent shrug.

"And I don't regret it…" Rick said, a blissful smile now appearing on his face.

Michonne chuckled lightly at his expression, turning off the water. "I'm sure you don't Rocky." She said as she exited the shower and began to dry off. Rick watched her for a moments and she sighed when she felt his eyes on him. "You're gonna shrivel up the longer you stand in there and stare." She looked him up and down and smirked as she exited the bathroom.

After a few minutes Rick was back in his bedroom a towel wrapped around his waist as Michonne was already lying in bed in one of his shirts and her locs in a high ponytail. "About time." She said with a smirk as she saw him enter. He dropped his towel and groaned a bit when he had to bend to slip on a pair of sweatpants.

He laid back in a bed with Michonne, groaning again. "Meds are starting to wear off…."

"I'll get you some more…"

"Stay here."

"You're in pain."

"I'm fine."

Michonne sighed and rolled her eyes, annoyed with his stubbornness. "I'm getting the pills." She said as she got off the bed and walked out before Rick could say anything. She came back after a few minutes and threw the pills onto the bed. "Take the damn pills Rocky and stop being annoying."

Rick smiled a bit, "If I didn't know any better I'd say you cared if I got better."

Michonne sighed and folded her arms over her chest, "No I just need you to shut up and go back to sleep. Take the pills."

Rick grinned at her and shrugged a bit, "Whatever you say boss." He took his pills and swallowed them with some water as she sat back next to him.

"You're annoying." Said Michonne glancing over at him.

"And yet...here you are." Said Rick with a sleepy smile as their moment in the shower and the pills were beginning to hit him and he began to close his eyes.

A silence fell between them as Rick quickly slipped into sleep. Michonne glanced over at him, noting his light snoring beginning to start. "And yet here I am." She said quietly, with a faint smile.

 **A/N: Okay now this chapter is hella long lol, I'm trying to keep up with the length for you guys so I hope you enjoy. I do plan on having more mini flashbacks in the upcoming chapters so stay tune for those! As always thank you for fave/follows/reviews. Hope yall have a good weekend :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

 **One Week Later**

Michonne had just gotten home from work it was her fourth day at her Atlanta law office and she was relieved to be back home as she had stayed later than intended working on various cases. As she entered her home she slipped off her heels and sat on the couch. She closed her eyes for a moment but they opened when she heard a buzz coming from her phone.

 _You home boss?_ The text message from Rick read. Most homes were now quiet as the town was now dark so Michonne was sure he must of saw her headlights in the distance. She smiled a bit at the text but didn't respond instead choosing to slip on her flip flops and walk over to his home.

Rick was sitting on his porch and smiled when saw the familiar figure walk up to him. His bruises and cuts from his previous fight now almost gone. "Hey boss."

Michonne smiled softly and took a seat next to him, "hey Rocky."

"Long day in the office?"

"Very." She said with a sigh.

Rick glanced her his eyes trailing up and down her. "You look good though."

Michonne smirked but kept her eyes forward, "doesn't all that staring hurt your eyes?"

"Not when I'm looking at you."

Michonne laughed lightly and looked at him. "Alright I get it Rocky. Can't wait till your kid comes home tomorrow you need someone else to deal with you."

Rick chuckled and smiled at her. After a few minutes of silence he turned to her, "do you wanna meet him?"

Michonne sighed and turned to him. "No."

Rick squinted at her, "why?" He asked, he wasn't mad at her response but more so trying to fully understand it.

Michonne sighed again and turned away, "I can't do kids Rick….not right now." She turned to him again, "I'm sorry."

Rick shook his head, "don't be. I understand…"

Michonne smiled a bit, "Besides what would you tell him? Oh hey son this is a girl who I'm not in a relationship with but we are sleeping together but we aren't friends. How old is your kid?" She asked turning to him again.

"7."

"7! Yeah something tells me he won't get the concept." Michonne said with a bit of a smile.

Rick chuckled a bit, "alright I see your point." They fell into a silence and Rick laced his fingers with hers. He noticed the small smile on her face when he did so. "My friend is opening a pizza shop…"

Michonne's brow furrowed and glanced at him, "wait a minute…Rocky has friends?" She asked with a smirk.

Rick laughed lightly, "Yes I have friends!"

"So why are you always hanging around me?" She asked.

"Cause you're wayyy cuter than them." Rick said with a grin as he leaned into her and gave her a light kiss on the cheek.

Michonne rolled her eyes and shook her head, "okay so the pizza shop…" She said bringing him back to their conversation.

Rick smiled against her skin but pulled back. "They are opening a pizza shop a little outside of town the opening is next week...do you wanna go?"

Michonne glanced at him, "This sounds like something that two people in a relationship might do…" She said with a raise of an eyebrow.

"Or maybe something that two people who are sleeping together might do…"

"Way to go for the reach Rocky." Michonne said with a smirk. After a moment she turned to him, "when is it?"

"Friday at 9."

"I'm gonna be tired from work."

"I'll bring you coffee."

"Is there gonna be actual pizza there?" Michonne asked.

Rick nodded, "so I'm told."

Michonne glanced over at him, "Fine."

Rick smiled at her, "thanks."

"I'm only going for pizza Rocky."

Rick chuckled, "yeah, I know."

After a few moments of silence Rick leaned in kissing her softly. He then wrapped his arms around her waist and felt her arms go around his neck. He pulled away slightly, "come inside." He said, his lips still touching hers.

"I have to work tomorrow."

"You won't be late…" Rick said as he then gave her another soft kiss.

Michonne smiled softly, "your son will be home tomorrow."

"Not until late."

Michonne smiled and gave him one gentle kiss on the lips. "Not tonight Rocky." She said as she got up and stood in front of him. She bent down and gave him another kiss on the lips. "Try not to miss me too much." She said with a smile as she turned and began to leave his porch.

"No promises." Said Rick as he watched her go. He smiled as he saw her shake her head and imagined she was probably rolling her eyes at him.

00000000000000

 **Next Friday at 8**

Michonne had just gotten home after a long day of the office. She sighed as she took off her shoes and made her way upstairs. She didn't want to go to this event but she had already said she would so she unwillingly walked towards her room to shower and get ready. After coming out of the shower she began to get ready, pulling her hair into a high bun and applying some makeup when she heard her doorbell rang. She sighed knowing it could only be one person.

She slipped on her silk robe and made her way downstairs, hearing her doorbell ring a second time. Once she made her way downstairs she swung her door open, one hand on her hip. "Haven't you ever learned patience Rick?"

Rick smirked and entered her home, a small cup of coffee in his hand. He wore a light blue denim button up shirt and a darker wash pair of jeans along with some brown boots. "Nice to see you too! I see someone isn't ready yet." He said eyeing her up and down and then handing her the coffee.

Michonne sighed, closing the door behind him as he entered her home and took a sip of her coffee. "I'll be ready in 30 minutes."

"Need some help?" Rick grinned as he watched her go back upstairs, tilting his head as he noticed how short her robe is.

"If you come upstairs I'm going to kill you." Michonne said as she made her way back to her room.

Rick chuckled a bit but nodded, "alright I'll wait." He said as he sat down on her couch.

After about 45 minutes Michonne came downstairs fully dressed. She wore gold eyeshadow and a deep red lipstick. She was wearing a black fitted spaghetti strapped dress that hit at her knee and hugged her body along with strappy black heels. The back of her dress still open as she needed Rick to zip it for her. She stopped in front of him, her back facing him. "Can you zip me up?"

Rick looked at her, his eyes dancing on her back that was all but bare minus her lace strapless bra. After a few seconds of taking her in his eyes began to trail down her body.

Michonne sighed, "Today Rick." She said still not facing him but accurately guessing that he was staring.

Rick cleared his throat a bit and stood, "yeah sorry." He slipped her zipper up and she turned to him. "You look pretty fancy for an opening of a pizza place." He said with raised eyebrow.

Michonnes brow furrowed and she looked down at herself. "This isn't even fancy."

Rick smirked, "If you say so." They began to walk towards her door. "Whose car we taking?"

"I am not being caught dead in that truck of yours in this outfit so mine." Michonne said with a smirk as she handed Rick her car keys as the exited.

"Oh I get to drive the fancy city car?" Rick said with a grin.

Michonne smiled a bit, "Don't mess up my car or it'll be the last thing you ever drive."

Rick chuckled as they entered her sleek black car, "Yes boss."

After half an hour they made it to the grand opening that was already underway. The restaurant was large and adorned with several balloons and a large sign that read "CONGRATULATIONS RHEES" was right in the middle of the entrance. Michonne and Rick entered moving past people who were drinking, talking, laughing, eating, and a few dancing to the background music. "Rick!" A voice shouted from behind them.

Both Michonne and Rick turned to the voice and Rick let out a bit of a smile when the person who had called out to him made his way. "Hey Glenn. Congrats." He said as he gave his friend a handshake.

Glenn smiled, "Thanks man! I was wondering if you were planning on coming out I'm glad you did!" Glenn noticed Michonne standing next to Rick and smiled. "And you are?"

Michonne turned to him and smiled a bit, she had just begun tuning out their conversation and was unfortunately pulled into it. "Michonne." She said as she offered her hand to him to shake.

Glenn smiled and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you Michonne….Uh are you guys…" He said pointing his finger between them.

"No." They both dryly responded.

"Oh….well…" Glenn let out an awkward chuckle. "...Uh so there is food, drinks, sit wherever. I'm gonna go find Maggie. Nice meeting you Michonne. See you later man." Glenn said, patting Rick's shoulder before leaving.

Michonne and Rick shared a glance before walking off to find an empty booth. They slipped in one they saw that was further off by the corner. "You want a drink?" Rick asked her.

Michonne shook her head, "No I'm fine."

"Food?"

Michonne shrugged a bit, "I guess since we're here."

Rick squinted at her for a moment, she seemed slightly off tonight. More distant than usual but he knew that now wasn't the right time to question her about it. "...Do you wanna go?"

Michonne glanced at him and shook her head. "We just got here Rick."

Rick paused and squinted at her again before nodding. "Okay, I'll go get some food." He said as he slipped out of the booth and walked towards the food.

Michonne sighed a bit after he left. Watching people mingle around the party. She began to tune out the noise before she was interrupted by a soft gasp, "I didn't believe it when Glenn told me he met you. I can't believe you're back." Her former friend Sasha now right in front of her with a smile.

Michonne directed her eyes towards the voice and smiled slightly when she saw Sasha. "Guess I just missed the country life." She said a bit of sarcasm in her voice that Sasha did not pick up on.

"When did you get back?"

"A few weeks ago." As Michonne spoke her eyes scanned the crowd for Rick wanting him to be back already so she would have a reason to end this conversation. Sasha and Michonne had a good friendship that simply faded away once she had moved to New York. And she frankly couldn't put in the energy to rebuild two friendships.

"No wonder I haven't heard anything! Being a little outside of town news takes forever to get around to here and the kids and I just got back from a little vacation." She paused, a happy smile growing on her face as she thought of her children. "I have kids now. And guess who the dad is?" Sasha said with a smile not picking up on Michonne's vibes.

Michonne's eyes darted towards Sasha when she mentioned she had kids and then quickly darted away again, returning to scanning the crowd again. "Who?" She asked unwilling to play the guessing game.

"Daryl Dixon. Do you remember him? God he was so annoying in high school but he's gotten a lot better. Still country as hell though." She said with a smile.

Michonne let out a sigh of relief when she saw Rick walking towards her with food in his hand. She looked up at Sasha and returned a slight smile, "I'm happy for you." She said, though it lacked much emotion.

Sasha looked at her for a moment, slightly confused but changed paths when she saw Rick slip into the booth. "Hey Rick, did you catch Daryl over there?"

Rick nodded and smiled a bit, "yeah I saw him."

"He misses you at the job you know." Sasha said with a soft smile.

Rick nodded, "yeah I know. Hope to be back soon."

There was an awkward pause and Sasha nodded, "well I'll leave you guys to eat. Michonne, we have to meet for lunch sometime."

Michonne looked up at her, "sometime."

Sasha smiled a bit awkwardly and then turned to leave them. Michonne and Rick shared glances again and then began to eat.

"...This pizza is amazing." Said Michonne, after some silence.

Rick nodded, "Aren't you glad you came?"

Michonne rolled her eyes, "let's not get crazy here." She dusted her fingers over her plate as she finished her food. "You didn't tell me Sasha had kids."

"I didn't think you cared." Rick said, shrugging as he finished his food as well.

"How many does she have?"

Rick turned to her, "are you asking because you actually care?" He asked, knowing that children were not a subject that Michonne geared her conversations towards.

Michonne remained silent for a few minutes her eyes examining the table for a while and then finally meeting his again, "just tell me Rick." She said.

Rick sighed a bit, "two."

Michonne nodded a bit and turned her gaze away from Rick, looking out onto the party. "Go talk to your friends Rick."

"I can stay with you." He responded.

Michonne glanced at him noticing how his blue eyes were drilling into her, a bit of concern wearing on his face. "I'll be okay. Go."

Rick paused and then nodded, "let me know when you want to go."

"Go." She said softly. She glanced over at him as he hesitated and then slipped out of the booth. "Rick." She said, causing him to turn to her. "I'm okay."

Rick stared at her for a moment, "let me know." He repeated before he turned from her to talk to his friends who he had drifted from in recent years.

Michonne sighed as she watched him go and once again began to tune everyone out. She leaned back and closed her eyes, hoping that this time she wouldn't be interrupted. After what felt like only a few minutes to her but in reality was an hour she opened her eyes to glass clinking and Rick slipping in back next to her.

"Uh, were you just sleeping?" He asked in a low voice as a toast began to start from Glenn and his wife Maggie.

Michonne sighed and rolled her eyes, "No Rick I was not sleeping."

Rick shrugged, as if to say _what other possible thing could you be doing with your eyes closed_?

Michonne was inattentive to the toast that seemed to be never ending, her mind on something else until her attention was on the couple when she heard them announce something.

Maggie held a sonogram in her hand and both Glenn and her had big smiles on their faces. "And we're pregnant!" The party guest cheered as the happy couple smiled and kissed a few times.

Michonne's eyes widen at their news. "I'm ready to go." She said abruptly not waiting for Rick to respond as she was already getting up and making her way to the exit.

Rick, caught off guard, had to practically jog after Michonne not registering her words until she was already up and leaving. Once he caught up to her she was already leaning against her car with her arms folded over her chest. "Hey...look…" He lowered his voice a bit as there were a few people outside, "I didn't know they were gonna announce that."

Michonne looked away from him, "I want to go." She said plainly.

Rick sighed slightly as he dug her car keys out of his pocket. "Give me one minute to just say bye okay? One minute….Don't drive off, I'll drive us back."

Michonne didn't respond but instead got into the car, sitting in the passenger side. Rick sighed a bit but was at least relieved that she had sat at the passenger side. He jogged back inside and made quick goodbyes before coming back and entering the car.

There was nothing but the quiet lull of the radio in the background as Rick drove, Michonne looking out the window and Rick concentrating on the road, glancing over at Michonne whenever he stopped at a red light. After several minutes of driving Michonne turned to him slightly confused, "where are we going?" She asked as she noticed he was taking a new route.

"You'll see." Rick said with a bit of smile.

Michonne sighed, "Rick I'm really not in the mood."

"We're almost there."

Michonne sighed and laid back in her sea regretting not driving. After 15 extra minutes of driving they were at their destination and Michonne sighed again at realizing where they were as she exited the car. They had a view of most of the town as they stood on a large hill that overlooked Kings County. 10 years ago it was often a spot for teenagers to come and make out at but for Rick and Michonne it was here that they had held many late night talks. "Really?" She asked, glancing at him as she sat on the hood of her car with Rick joining her.

"What better place to talk." He said with a shrug.

"And what is there to talk about?"

Rick looked at her, "what's wrong?" He asked, softly.

Michonne sighed and kept her eyes on the town before her. "Nothing."

Silence.

"Michonne…" Rick said in that same soft tone.

Michonne glanced over at him and then turned back away. There was silence between them again. "I know that people don't stop having babies just because mine died Rick."

Rick nodded, "I know." He said, as he looked at her intently.

Michonne sighed a bit, "sometimes I can just move past it but...today's a hard day."

There was a silence between them. "Why?" Rick asked.

Another silence.

"My baby would have been 5 months today. At 5 months they start to laugh when you make a funny face or a noise," she glanced at Rick and then turned away, "they start putting everything in their mouth. Some kids can sit up straight but most are still a little wobbly, they start to make new noises. They learn that when you play peekaboo that you come back when you disappear. And they _finally_ start sleeping through the night." She sighed again as she felt Rick lace his fingers through hers but didn't move her hand from his.

"You read all the books." Rick quietly noted after they fell into a silence again.

Michonne smiled a bit. "I read all of them. Twice. And read them again after he died." She rubbed her eye with her thumb. "I'll be fine tomorrow."

Rick looked over at her intently he squeezed her hand lightly and pulled her over to him. "You can talk to me when you aren't okay, you know."

Michonne laid her head on Rick's shoulder, "I know." She said softly.

A pause. "I'm sorry about your kid Michonne." He said gently.

She sighed and nodded a bit, "yeah...me too."

"You can talk to me about him."

"I know. I'm just...I'm not going to right now. I can't."

Rick nodded a bit, "I know." He said, a tenderness in his voice as he spoke.

After several minutes of silence she spoke again, "Thanks Rocky...For letting me spill my bullshit on you.

Rick smiled a bit at her saying his nickname for the first time that night. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head lightly. "It's not bullshit." He assured her.

Michonne smiled a bit at his gentle kisses. While he knew virtually nothing about her child it took few words from him to comfort her and make her a feel better than before, even if it was only slightly. "Alright, too much sappy stuff." She said with a smirk as she took her head off of his shoulder but continued to hold his hand.

Rick chuckled a bit, "Stop acting like you don't like it."

"You wish." Michonne with a slight smirk.

Rick chuckled again and they fell into a comfortable silence. Quiet background music played from their radio as they looked out on Kings County. As they sat _Vision of Love_ by Mariah Carey. Michonne smiled widely and turned to him, "Do you remember this song?" She asked, turning to him.

Rick nodded. "You mean do I remember how you forced this song on me?" He asked with a smirk.

Michonne rolled her eyes, "I did not force this song on you! It was our song."

"It was _your_ song that you wanted to make into our song." Rick said with a smirk.

000000000000

 **11 years ago**

Rick and Michonne were on a date in their town's last standing local roller skating rink. While Michonne skated around the ring, gliding easily Rick was a bit clumsier, moving much slower and standing closer to the rail.

"You gotta let go at some point Rick!" Said Michonne as she skated up to him with a wide smile.

Rick sighed and glanced at her, "Next time I'm choosing where we go."

Michonne smiled, "You always choose! It was my turn. Besides this is fun!" She smiled and spun in a small circle in front of him, her plaid skirt lifting a bit as she did so.

Rick's eyes met the hem of her skirt and he tilted his head as he attempted to sneak a peek of what was under the skirt. He stayed there for a minute until he heard a gasp come from Michonne.

"Oh my god I love this song! Let's dance!" She said happily, as _Vision of Love_ by Mariah Carey began to blast through the speakers, fellow couples grabbing hands to dance. She pulled lightly on Rick's hand before he had time to respond and stopped when they got to the middle of the dance floor.

Rick raised an eyebrow at her, "How do you even dance in these things?"

"Like this." Michonne said with a smile as she wrapped his arms around her waist and then pressed herself to him as she put her arms around his neck and they began swaying lightly to the music. "I had a vision of love. And it was all that you've given to meee. Prayed through the nightssss! Felt so alone. Suffered through alienation." Michonne sang, as they danced.

Rick laughed lightly as she sang, "You don't sing well, babe."

"And you don't skate well! So let me be." She said as she began singing again, "I had a vision of love. And it was all that you've given to me. I had a vision of love. And it was all that you've given me."

Rick laughed at her again and continued to dance, grinning at her as she attempted to hit high notes. The song ended but they remained close to each other.

"You know this is gonna be our song, right?" Michonne said with a smile.

"Uh, that's not how that works." Responded Rick with a smirk.

"Too bad! It's already set in stone." Said Michonne with a shrug.

"By who?" Asked Rick with a raised eyebrow.

"Me, duh." Michonne responded with a smile. "Let's go get some food." She said as she pulled him over to the exit.

"Thank God." Rick mumbled as he was more than happy to get out his roller skates.

"I heard that!" Michonne responded to his mumbles.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rick said innocently as they made it off the rink.

Michonne playfully rolled her eyes, "You're so annoying!" She said, even though she wore a smile.

Rick laughed and shrugged, "Still don't know what you're talking about."

00000000000000

 **Present day**

As the song ended Michonne glanced over at Rick, "it was our song." She said with a smile.

Rick chuckled, "whatever you say boss." He glanced over at Michonne his glance quickly changing to a gaze as she looked out at their town.

"Stop staring Rocky." Michonne said with a smirk as she continued to look straight ahead.

"Look at me." He said softly.

She turned her head to him and he leaned in giving her a gentle kiss on the lips as he slipped his tongue in her mouth. His hands moved up her dress as they deeply kissed, lightly playing with her zipper. His lips pulled away from hers and trailed down her chin and then jaw, to stop his journey at her neck lightly kissing and sucking.

Michonne smiled softly her eyes half closed as he kissed her neck. "I'm not fucking you on my car Rocky…" She said in a low voice.

"You've got seats for a reason…" Rick said, whispering against her neck as he gently licked and sucked on her neck.

Michonne chuckled a bit and pulled back from him. She slipped off her the hood of her car and walked over to her passenger door and opened it, "Get in Rocky."

Rick grinned widely and hopped off of her car, he got into her back seats so that he was laying down on his back. "Come here."

Michonne smirked and entered her car closing the door behind her. She lifted the bottom of her dress and straddled him. "You need to be more patient Rick." She said, as she leaned down to him and brushed her lips against his. She lightly ran her tongue against his bottom lip and smirked when she felt his erection pressing into her and his hands gripping her hips.

She kissed him deeply as Rick wrapped one arm around her waist, and he sat up. She placed one hand on his chest and her hand trailed down until she was fumbling with his shirt buttons, opening one and then another.

Rick unzipped the back of her dress, they pulled away for a moment and Rick slipped his arms out of his own shirt as Michonne slipped the straps of her dress off. They connected again as Rick sucked on her neck, with more force then before, as his hand went to her back to unhook her bra. Once her breasts were free his tongue trailed down her and took one of them into his mouth. He felt himself jump beneath her as she began to slowly grind against him.

He laid back so he was on his back again and pushed her hips up towards him until she was sitting on his chest. His eyes went up her body and after a moment he pulled her hips forward so she was sitting on his face. He slid her underwear to the side and began to explore her already wet folds with his tongue as if it was his first time tasting her. He smirked slightly when he heard her gasps and she began to grind against his face.

"Fuck…" Michonne said softly, biting down on her lip as she ran her hands through Ricks curls, gripping onto them. She felt him move his tongue so he was gently sucking on her bud. "Rick...oh my god…" She moaned softly as she gripped his hair tighter and grinded faster against his tongue.

He heard small moans above him and felt his hair getting pulled harder until he finally began to taste her juices as she slowed her grinding and lessened her grip on his hair. She pulled away from his face as she regained her composure and moved back so she was pressing against his erection again. Rick sat up and kissed her deeply when they met again, slipping his tongue in her mouth. As they kissed Michonne's hand ran down to his pants and unbuckled his jeans. She slipped one hand down his pants and immediately found his dick that was slick in precum.

She lifted herself as they kissed in order to pull down his pants and boxers revealing his dick. She lowered herself but only gently rubbed her folds against the tip of his length. She pulled away slightly, gasping against Rick's lip and lightly gripping the base of him.

"Michonne…" Rick groaned quietly against her lips.

"Patience…" She said softly as she continued to rub herself against him, gasping quietly. She leaned in and kissed him intensely as she finally slipped down on him, allowing him to fully enter her, moaning into his mouth as she did so.

She swiveled her hips against him as Rick held her tightly. He buried his face into her neck as she rode him, groaning against her skin. Her hand found his hair again and her other hand gripped his thigh as she quickened against him. "Rick…" She moaned as she continued.

Rick could feel himself jump inside her as she moaned his name and he encouraged her to quicken her pace as he helped move her hips faster by gripping her waist with his hands.

Michonne bit down on her lip, arching her back slightly and pulling on his hair. "Rick...fuck...fuck…" She moaned as she could feel herself unraveling for the second time that night as she bucked against him. She heard a groan come out of Rick as he also came soon after she did.

As their breathing slowed down Michonne lifted herself off of him, she patted his legs that were stretched out on her seat wordlessly telling him to move over. Once she did she sat down and began to fix herself, finding her bra on the floor and putting it on and then pulling the straps of her dress back on. She looked over at Rick who seemed to still be recovering and she chuckled lightly. "Should I drive back?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

Rick nodded, "I think that'll be for the best…"

Michonne chuckled again and turned her back to him, "zip me up and I'll leave you to recover."

After a little over an hour they were back in front of Michonne's home, now fully dressed. "Thanks for the night out Rocky." Michonne said with as she leaned against her door and Rick leaned over her.

"Was at least some of it a good night?" Rick asked.

Michonne shrugged a bit. "Everything sucked until it was just you and me so...somewhat of a good night I guess." She said with a small smile.

Rick smiled widely at her, "So you're saying that you enjoy spending time with me alone?"

Michonne sighed and rolled her eyes, "I'm saying I choose the better of two evils tonight."

"All you have to do is admit it…" Rick said still wearing his wide smile.

"Don't you have a babysitter you need to go see?" Michonne asked with a raised eyebrow.

Rick smiled at her obvious change of topic. "Let me get a kiss goodbye and then I'll go." He said as he leaned in closer to her.

Michonne sighed again but smirked slightly as she leaned into him and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. She pulled away from him and turned to open her door. Once her door was open she stood in her entranceway. "Goodbye Rocky."

Rick chuckled, he moved closer to her and wrapped one arm around her. He leaned in and kissed her deeply for several minutes and then pulled away. "Goodnight boss." He said as he began to turn and go off of her porch.

"You're annoying!" Michonne shouted to him as he walked away.

Rick chuckled and turned to her so he was walking backwards, "whatever you say!" He said with a wide grin before he turned back around and faded out of her view.

Michonne rolled her eyes as she turned to entered home but wore a smile as she closed the door.

 **A/N: This chapter was lowkey sad and unless I get a new idea next chapter will be higkey sad so heres your warning now lol. Anywho have yall heard Juke Jam by Chance the Rapper? Thats where the idea for a past roller skating date came from :) As always thank you for follows/fave/reviews, I'm giving myself a small pat on the back for maintaining these long ass chapters haha hope to keep it up for yall. Now to respond to reviews, sidenote yalls reactions to lori had me dyingggg you guys are too funny omg.**

 **cuckoo91: lol! Glad you are enjoying this story as well now go do your work!**

 **gdyoung59: even tho michonne is like lol no to meeting carl right now they will meet and it'll be great even if it may not be at the optimal time *insert side eye emojis***

 **Guest 1: lolll lori gonna be a little nosy in this fic just fyi but only at a minimum haha, thanks for enoying the story!**

 **Firefly-class: thanks! Yes they have some issues to work through but it does help that they have each other lean on.**

 **Lavender73: thanks! Yes i plan on this fic being around for a minute since i dont wanna rush their healing process thanks for enjoying that aspect and the nicknames :)**

 **flacagonalzes: is your username an OITNB reference? If so i love it haha thanks for enoying michonnes response to lori!**

 **MichonneGalaxy: Thanks!**

 **Guest 2: Thanks :)**

 **Alexis: okay so i had to use google translate to read your review so i hoped they did it justice lol. But i agree even tho they havent seen eachother in forever and have changed they still manage to fall into familiar patterns. I agree that michonne helps rick feel whole again. Thank you for the review!**

 **Shunnieisfine: Loll thanks for enjoying! I don't plan to have lori around a lot in this fic but every now then she is gonna poke her head out and be annoying lol**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

 **A Few Days Later**

Michonne walked into her home at around 7 at night on a Thursday. She was relieved to be back home as she slipped out of her heels and began walking upstairs to her room. As she entered her room she heard the low buzz of her phone. She sat on her bed and answered the call from an unknown number, assuming it could have been work related. "Hello?" She asked.

"Michonne." The voice replied back and she knew who it was immediately. The father of her child, Mike was calling her. In the month after her child died their relationship quickly unraveled with Michonne placing the weight of the child's death on her shoulder and him confirming that that weight belonged to her. Once Michonne had made up her mind to go back home she took the opportunity to pack her things and leave when he was at a friend's house for a week. She left a note and was gone by the time he was home. She told her mother to not tell him where she was going or any of her new contact information because she knew eventually he would want to be with her again. And now it was painfully clear that her mother had told Mike where she was and how to contact her.

"Michonne." Mike repeated, he sighed, "I know you're there."

"What do you want?" Michonne spat out, feeling anger rise in her.

He sighed again, "Do you know what day it was last Friday?" He asked, referring to their child's 5 month birthday. The reasoning behind his call now becoming obvious.

"Of course I remember. What do you want?" She asked again.

"To talk to you."

"I tried talking to you do you remember what happened? Our kid died when I was home. You were at work. So therefore it must have been my fault."

Another sigh, "I was...I'm sorry I was grieving." Mike responded.

"Go fuck yourself." She bitterly responded.

There was a tense silence between the both of them, "I'll be down there tomorrow."

"You're a piece of shit Mike."

"My flight gets in late so probably around 7" He continued, ignoring her anger.

"Fuck you."

"...Your mom thinks we should at least try to talk."

Now it was Michonne's turn to sigh and roll her eyes, "Don't bring my mother into our bullshit. I told her the bare minimum about what happened to us."

"...I'll see you tomorrow night."

"You're a son of a bitch." Michonne responded, as if it was a fact.

Mike sighed, "I'll be there tomorrow." He said again, before hanging up.

Michonne sighed and threw her phone back on her bed. She stayed on her bed for several minutes before getting up and putting on some shoes. She walked downstairs and exited her home and walked towards Rick's. She smiled a bit when she saw him on his porch and walked up to him, "Hey."

Rick smiled up at her, "Hey, I missed you." He said, as she sat down next to him.

"It hasn't been that long."

"It has. A couple days since I last saw you. Can't you take a vacation from work?" He asked, smilingly at her.

Michonne chuckled a bit, "No Rocky, I just started I can't." She said a soft smile.

"Carl is going with his mother tomorrow…"

"What are you trying to say? Michonne asked with a smirk.

"You can come over…" Rick said as he leaned into her and gave her gentle kisses on her jaw.

Michonne smiled a bit but lightly pushed him away, "Alright calm down. Maybe I'll come over."

Rick grinned widely, "I'll take a maybe."

"Good cause that's all you're gonna get." Michonne said with a smirk, glancing at him as there was a pause between them. "The father of my kid called…"

Rick turned to her, his brow furrowing, "What happened?"

"He's coming here. Tomorrow night. He said wants to talk."

"About what?"

Michonne sighed, "About….our kid...about what happened to our relationship...about me. I don't know." She said with a shrug.

"And what happened...to your relationship?"

"Didn't end so great."

"Do you think he wants to get back together with you?"

"Maybe." She responded.

"...Would you?" Rick asked as he looked at her closely, while he believed everything was going well with them there was still a slight doubt within him. She was distant at times and open at others and he was still getting to know this new version of her. And this other man already knew her better than he did.

Michonne turned to him, her face softening, "No. I want to be here Rick. With you. I'm not going back to New York with him."

Rick nodded a bit as he looked at her, his doubt subsiding as she told him exactly what he needed to hear from her. "Do you want me there when he comes?"

She shook her head, "No, I don't need a bodyguard Rocky." She said with a bit of a smile. There was a silence between them. "You can...stick around though. At your house. But you know, come over if you hear me yelling."

Rick nodded again, "I will."

"Thanks." She said quietly.

"Is he an asshole?" Rick asked.

Michonne smirked a bit, "Yeah...he is. But it'll be fine." She laced her fingers through his and Rick rose his eyebrow at her. She glanced at him, "What? You're not only one who can initiate hold handing Rocky."

Rick grinned widely at her, "You wanna come inside?"

Michonne rolled her eyes, "You already know the answer to that." She stood up from him and lightly kissed him. "I guess I can come over for the weekend though…" She said with a small smile.

Rick smiled back at her, "I'll see you then...Let me know if you need me tomorrow."

Michonne nodded and smiled a bit, "I will." She then turned and walked off of his porch and back home.

000000000000000000

 **The Following Night**

It was eight at night and Michonne was sat on her couch. Painfully aware of whenever a car passed by, wondering if it was Mike. A large part of her wanted to believe he had changed his mind after their phone call, decided to stay in New York and leave her alone. But she knew him well enough to know that once he had an idea he went through with it no matter what. Another car passed by and after several minutes her doorbell rang. She sighed and walked to her door, opening it. They both stared at each other for a moment before Mike decided to speak.

"Can I come in?" He asked.

"No." Michonne responded before stepping out of her home and closing the door behind her.

Mike sighed, "Really?" He looked tired and disheveled especially compared to Michonne who look well composed. The last time they had saw each other it was her that looked tired, as if life had been sucked at out of her.

"I don't expect this conversation to last long Mike." She responded dryly.

Mike sighed again and looked around her porch, spotting a small bench. "Can I sit at least?"

Michonne shrugged, "Do whatever you want."

Mike practically dragged his feet as he sat down on her bench with Michonne leaning against the railing in front of him so they were facing each other. "I want you to come back to New York Michonne." He said, after a few minutes of silence as he looked up at her.

"No." She deadpanned.

"'Dre just had his 5 month birthday don't you think he would-"

"Do not come here and use my son to guilt trip me into coming back to New York Mike. You don't get to be in New York and then use my son against me there and then come here and do that. Fuck you, Mike. If this is your fucking strategy you can go fuck yourself." Her voice, was no longer a void of emotion but now laced with animosity as she spoke to him.

Mike sighed and looked away from her for a moment and then back, "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have said that….There's a lot of things I shouldn't have said. I miss him too you know. And then you left and I was...alone."

"Tell me Mike how do you think I felt when I cried myself to sleep every night? Don't you think I wanted the man who I had my child with to be there for me? To tell me it was okay, we were going to be okay, _I_ was going to be okay? You left me the day my kid did so don't pull this woe is me bullshit."

Mike sighed again, his eyes moved around the street before him, noticing how quiet the whole town was. "Why did you even come back here? You could've gone anywhere."

Silence.

"I wanted to come home." Michonne said after several minutes.

Mike looked up at her, "Your home is in New York."

"No it isn't."

"You're parents are in New York now. You're friends. 'Dre's buried there-"

"Stop." Michonne responded forcefully.

Mike sighed and looked away from her again, "You're just gonna get bored here Michonne and then what? You're gonna move all over the fucking country to avoid me? To avoid us?"

"You have no idea what my life like is here so don't act like you do. I have no intention of leaving again. Not for anyone. And especially not for you."

"What am I supposed to tell your mother when I come back home without you?"

"Tell her to call me so I can attempt to figure out why she gave you not only my phone number but my address too." She countered.

"Why are you acting like you don't miss us Michonne? We were fucking good together you know that. Clearly your mom knows that or she wouldn't have told me where you were."

"It was good with us. And then you know what happened? My kid died. He fucking died Mike and when I needed you the most, when I felt the worst you took all your fucking anger about him being dead and you threw it at me. I will _never_ miss us because missing us means that I miss the bullshit I went through. We could have had the best fucking relationship but you shitted on that not me." She sighed and pulled her eyes off of him as she folded her arms across her chest.

"It's not just your kid…" Mike mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Michonne asked, whipping her eyes back to him.

Mike sighed, "Why do you keep talking like he was your kid? Like he wasn't mine too? I know I fucked up but shit he was just as much mine as he was yours."

"Fuck you." She responded bitterly.

"What?" Mike asked, unsure of he heard her right.

"Fuck. You. He's your kid? You tell me in New York that I'm this terrible fucking person, a terrible mother, and when I'm home crying over my baby you're coming home drunk falling all over my fucking house. He was _my_ kid." She said pointing to herself and then him. "Not yours. I cried for my baby you got fucked up and expected me to soothe your hangover."

Mike sucked his teeth and stood up, " _You_ wallowed in your shit so much you were blind to anyone else who was grieving Michonne." He angrily responded.

"My kid is fucking dead!" She shouted at him, her voice echoing on her empty street. "What did you expect me to do huh? Care for you? Clean up after your late night binge fest as I cried? No. _I_ carried him for 9 months. _I_ was in labor for 6 hours. _I_ quit my job to be a stay at home mom. And what did I get in return? A dead kid 3 months later and his fucking father who wanted me to take care of him but also made sure to tell me I was the reason his child was dead. Go fuck yourself Mike. I love my kid so much it hurts, but you….you are the worst thing that has ever happened to me."

They stood in silence for several minutes as Michonne glared at him and Mike looked through her.

"I'm gonna go." He said, finally.

"Good." Michonne responded.

A pause.

"Let me just get his things."

Michonne's brow furrowed, confusion sweeping over her face. "What?"

Mike sighed, "You took his things. Did you think I wouldn't notice? He's buried in New York I want his things there."

Michonne can feel her heartbeat rising, that familiar choking feeling right around the corner, "What?" She asked again, hoping maybe somehow this was all some cruel joke.

Mike sighed again, "Michonne you heard me."

"Fuck you! Fuck you Mike!" She managed to yell out, louder than before, as she felt her eyes begin to burn as tears pushed through.

"Michonne-"

"I'm not giving you shit!" She yelled again.

"You're gonna cause a scene…" Mike responded calmly, seemingly unbothered by her crying as if after seeing her cry so many times it no longer affected him.

"I don't give a fuck! You are not taking his stuff from me!" She shouted in between her sobs that were just as loud.

"Boss." Rick called out to her as he walked up to her home, he could hear her yelling and pained sobs from his home and he took as his cue to come over.

Mike turned to Rick, unaware of who he was, "Hey man, this is a private conversation."

Rick ignored him as he made his way up her porch steps to stop in front of her. He watched her attentively as her sobs continued. He couldn't place a time, even from before they dated, he had seen her cry so harder. He could feel himself breaking for her while simultaneously feeling an intensity of anger towards the person who made her like this. He glanced over at Mike, whose annoyance seemed to be growing, and then back at Michonne. "Do you want him to go?" He asked her in a low voice.

Michonne couldn't seem to stop her sobs as Rick stood in front of her and now she couldn't manage to say anything. She nodded in response to his question, "I have…..to go inside…" She said between sobs as her chest fell up and down.

Rick nodded, as she attempted to regain some composure to go back into her home. He lightly grabbed her wrist as she grabbed her doorknob. "...Wait for me, okay? "He asked her quietly. She nodded slightly and he let go of her. He watched her as she continued to sob and she was now back in her home.

"Hey look man that conversation was priva-" Mike's words were cut off by a hard punch to the jaw from Rick that caused him to stumble back and before he had time to fully comprehend what was happening Rick punched him again, causing him to stumble backwards off of Michonne's steps.

Rick watched as the man fell to the grass and groaned, rolling over onto his stomach and then attempting to get up on all fours. Rick approached him and forcefully pulled him back down to the ground by his shirt so now he was on his back. Rick stood over the man, pulling him by his collar with one hand, and punching him with the other. He was sure he heard a crack as he hit his nose but continued until his hand was bloody from his own blood and Mikes. He continued to hold the man up by his collar as he bent down to talk in a low, rough voice in his ear. "If you come back here again, I won't stop next time. Leave Michonne alone. She left New York for a reason." He dropped his collar causing Mike to groan as he hit the ground again. "I could've killed you." Rick said as he squinted down at Mike with a tilt of his head.

He turned away and walked back towards Michonne's home. He opened the door to her sitting on the floor of her entrance way, her knees up and her head buried in her arm as her sobs were now soft cries. He sat down next to her and gently slid her into his lap as his arms wrapped around her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head in his chest, damping his shirt. "What happened?" Rick asked quietly as if anything above a whisper may cause her to cry more.

She pulled away from his shirt as her cries finally came to a stop and her eyes were now bloodshot as if she hadn't slept in days. "I didn't cry at all Rick….we argued and I didn't cry. He saw me cry every day when my baby died I didn't want to do it anymore." She let out a large sigh, "And then he said that he wanted me to give him my kid's things…"

Rick's brows furrowed a bit and she continued noting his confusion. "I have a box of my kid's things in my closet...and he wanted them back because he's buried in New York." She bit down on her lip and looked down in order to stop herself from crying again. After a moment she looked up at him, "I want to go to bed."

Rick nodded as he looked at her intently, "Okay…Um you've got some blood on you though…" Noting how she had a few blood stains on her from wrapping herself around him.

"I don't care." She said with a sigh.

"But you will tomorrow. I know you're tired but you'll hate me if you don't shower tonight." He responded, knowing all too well how neat she liked everything to be and how difficult blood stains could be.

"No." Michonne responded.

"Michonne…"

"No." She said again as she turned away from him.

"Hey, look at me." Rick said in a quiet voice. She sighed and turned to him. "Let me do this for you, okay? You give me ice and Advil after a fight this is my giving you ice and Advil, okay? Take it."

Michonne stared at him for a moment, she was silent but nodded as she slipped off his lap and stood. She held out a hand for him and he grasped it as he got up. He gently squeezed her hand and a faint smile flashed on her face that was so fast that if he would've blinked he would have missed it. They made their way to her room and then her shower. He let go of her hand for a moment in order to turn on the water and turned to her, "Do you want me to stay?"

"Why wouldn't I?" She responded quietly, her face still wearing a somber expression.

Rick nodded a bit and moved to her and began to lightly pull off her shirt that had a few blood stains on it as Michonne raised her arms up for him. He wrapped one arm around her, bringing it to her midback as to unhook her bra as she stood still for him.

He pulled away from a moment, resisting the urge to stare at her as he usually did. He glanced down at her pants and then back at up are her and she silently nodded allowing him to continue undressing her. She placed her hands on his shoulders as she stepped out of her pants and then her underwear. She stepped into the shower and closed her eyes, directly standing underneath it. She can hear Rick leaving and with her eyes still closed she called to him, "Rick. Come in." She said quietly.

He paused for a moment, "are you sure?"

"Come." She said quietly. She could hear his clothes dropping to the floor and she could feel relief wash over her when he entered the shower and wrapped his arms around her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his chest.

"Rick." She said in a low voice after a few minutes.

"Hm?" He quietly responded.

"...I miss my baby." She said her voice just above a whisper.

Rick squeezed her tightly and gently kissed the top of her head, "I know." He said softly.

Once the water had turned cold they both exited the shower. Michonne slipped into bed wearing an oversized shirt as her pajamas and Rick in his boxers. They both laid on their back facing the ceiling. There was a stillness between them and after several minutes of this Michonne moved toward him, wrapping her arm around his waist and laying her head on his chest as she closed her eyes. Rick smiled a bit down at her and wrapped one arm around her. "Goodnight boss." He said quietly after he gave her head a light kiss.

"Goodnight Rick." Michonne quietly said


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

 **The Next Day**

Rick woke up to the sun shining in his eyes and squinted, he attempted to move but quickly realized Michonne was still sleeping in the same position she was in when she fallen asleep. Since coming back home it was the first time that she was still sleeping when he awoke. He enjoyed the moment and attempted to go back asleep before quickly realizing he had to use the bathroom. He sighed and moved slightly towards the edge of the bed. As he moved so did Michonne attempting to get closer to him. He moved again and she followed again. For a second he wondered if she was still sleeping and instead doing it on purpose but that idea quickly escaped him when he heard a light snore escape her. _Definitely sleeping_ he thought. He was almost off the bed and he managed to roll out of her grasp and subsequently onto her wooden floor with a loud thud and a groan.

After a minute or two of some movement from above him Michonne peaked her head off her bed to see Rick laying on the floor. "...what are you doing?" She asked, her voice groggy and her eyes still a bit closed.

Rick sighed, "I had to use the bathroom."

Michonne rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, "So...you decided to roll there?" She said still clearly confused as she was still in the process of waking up.

Rick sat up as he rubbed his lower back with his hand, "No I was trying not to wake you up but I didn't judge the roll good enough clearly….Why can't you have carpeted floors like everyone else?"

"You know how hard it is to clean carpets? And then people are trekking their germs all over my hard to clean carpet, no thanks."

"I'm literally the only person who's been here."

"You don't know that Rocky." She said as she sat up and leaned against her headboard.

"Who else has been here?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"...No one but that's beside the point!"

Rick chuckled as he got up, "I'm gonna go use the bathroom and then I'll make you some breakfast."

Michonne sighed, "I don't need you to take care of me."

Rick shrugged, "too bad." He said as he entered her bathroom.

Michonne sighed again but stayed in bed, her arms folded over her chest, as she waited for Rick to leave the bathroom. "Do you even know how to cook Rocky?" She asked once he came out.

"My kid says I make some mean scrambled eggs." Rick said with a smile.

Michonne pursed her lips together, "he's 7 he thinks everything is great."

"Do you want breakfast here or downstairs?" He asked, ignoring her comment not admitting that she was definitely right.

Michonne sighed and whipped the blanket off of her, "I'm not bedridden Rick I'll eat downstairs." She said as she exited her room.

Rick smiled a bit to himself and nodded as he followed after her, "whatever you say boss."

Michonne sat on her bar stool near her kitchen island as she watched Rick cook their breakfast. They both were silent as he cooked and when he was done he placed scrambled eggs, with slightly burnt toast, in front of her. He sat across from her with the same in front of him and they began to eat.

"Not bad Rocky…" Michonne said as she ate.

Rick smiled, "see? I told you."

Michonne smiled a bit, "yeah, yeah." She said waving him off as she ate.

They continued to eat in silence and when they were both done Rick took their plates and placed them in her sink. He sat back across from her and looked at her intently. "You wanna talk about yesterday?"

"No." Michonne responded as her eyes left him and moved around her kitchen.

Rick continued to look at her as they became silent again. "You shouldn't have to deal with this shit alone Michonne…" As he spoke her eyes continued to dance around the room but he could tell she was listening so he continued. "...You shouldn't have to be sobbing in my arms in order to speak about your child. Give me some of the shit you're holding onto."

Michonne sighed and placed her eyes back on him, "You have your own shit Rick…"

Rick nodded, "I do but it's getting better because of you. So let me help you." He said with a soft voice.

She sighed again, "I can't just give you all of it Rick. Not all at once."

"I don't need all at once. Just a little at a time."

After a few moments Michonne nodded, "okay." She finally agreed as she then slipped off of her stool and walked over to the sink to wash the dishes.

Rick watched her for a moment and then got up to stand beside her. "You should stay over at mines for the weekend...Maybe it'll help to not be here for a day or two."

"And your son?" Michonne asked as she finished and leaned against her sink.

"Won't be home till Sunday night."

Michonne paused for a moment and then nodded, "let me get a few things." She turned to leave the kitchen and Rick watched her, when she got to her stairs she paused and walked back to him. She could read the confusion on his face when she entered the kitchen again as she gently cupped his face in her hand and laid a kiss on his cheek. Her eyes were soft and a small smile showed on her face, "Thank you for last night." She kissed him on the cheek again and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you." She said again quietly. She stayed like this for a moment and then pulled away from him, exiting the kitchen and going up her stairs.

Rick watched her as he go, his cheeks a slight flush due to her small moment. Ten years ago when they had dated these "sappy" moments as she called it, was an often occurrence from Michonne. Now that they were different and a bit broken he wasn't sure if he would see a moment like that from her again but he smiled sheepishly to himself in realizing that her "sappy" moments still made him flush.

000000000000000

Michonne was now in Rick's bed, she wore a similar large pajama shirt as the night before but this time with a pair of denim shorts underneath. She had a large book open in front of her and was bent over it as she read with her legs crossed.

Rick groaned as he entered the room and plopped down next to her, "You know you don't _have_ to read here right?"

"Just because you don't get comics doesn't mean the rest of have to suffer Rocky." She said as she continued to read with her head down.

Rick sighed, "I thought when you went to New York you had grown out of them."

"You thought wrong."

"Which one are you reading now?"

"Watchmen." She responded.

Rick squinted at her, "haven't you read that before?"

"...your point?" She asked as she turned the page, yawning lightly as she did so.

"What's the point of reading these things if they always make you sleepy? How can they be exciting?"

Michonne sighed and looked up from her book, "first of all Rocky you know I get sleepy whenever I read anything so don't place that on comics. Secondly if you decided to open up your mind one day to things besides the sports section maybe you would understand why _everyone_ reads comics."

"...Everyone doesn't read comics."

"The more I read the quicker I'll be napping and then the quicker you can do whatever you like Rocky." Michonne said as she went back to reading.

Rick nodded at her point and got up from bed, "I'll be downstairs watching the game."

"What game?"

"Literally any game." He said as he left the room.

Michonne chuckled a bit as he left and she continued reading, another yawn escaping her.

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After reading for a while Michonne had fallen asleep at some point. She was sleeping when she was woken up by a doorbell ringing from downstairs. She heard the door open and then murmurs and the door closing again.

"Dad, can we _pleaseeeee_ get the new one that came out? _Pleaseeee_ I will do my all my chores I promise!"

"We will see." Pause. "Uh, let me go check on something upstairs, okay son? I'll be right back."

"Okay!" Said a young voice in response.

Michonne sighed and her face was turned into a frown as she heard Rick come upstairs. She sighed as she got off the bed as Rick entered the room. "Your kid is here?" She asked to him.

Rick sighed and closed the door behind him, "He said he wasn't feeling well so his mom brought him back home but I think he just wanted to be here."

Silence.

"I'm going home Rick." She said with a sigh.

"You can stay." Rick responded.

"And do what Rick? Stay locked in your room?"

Rick sighed, "He'll stay downstairs and when he's sleeping you can leave if you really want."

Another silence.

"You're annoying."

"I know."

"Go downstairs with your kid." She said with a sigh as she got back in bed.

"...Thanks for staying."

"The longer you stay up here Rocky the more likely he is to come up here." Michonne said as she picked up her book and began reading where she left off.

"Alright, I'm going boss." Rick said as he then exited the room, closing the door behind him.

As time passed Michonne could hear the child's footsteps running around, laughter, talking, a television and then silence. She looked at the clock on the wall and the time read 4:30 and she sighed. She listened a bit more, attempting to figure out if the child was still downstairs since she had to use the bathroom. _Should have just stayed home_ she thought to herself. She sighed as she got up once she heard footsteps downstairs, assuming the child was still downstairs. As she opened the door she peered out and heard his laughter again which she took as a sign that she will be able to go to the bathroom without running into him.

Once she was done she exited the bathroom stopping short when suddenly a smaller version of Rick was in front of her. His eyes were a similar shade of blue and his hair was a bit shaggy. He looked up at her and squinted, like his dad would, "Dad! There's a lady upstairs!"

They both continued to stare at each other until Rick was in front of them, slightly out of breath, since it seemed like he had ran up the stairs. "Uh, Carl...this is Michonne. I knew her when I was your age." Rick finally said.

"Why is she in our bathroom? Carl asked keeping his eyes on the woman before him.

"Uh…I guess she had to use the bathroom, right Michonne?" He asked glancing over at her.

She sighed and glanced at Carl, "Yup." She simply responded.

"Does she have her own bathroom?" Carl asked, clearly still confused.

"Uh, yes. She does but uh she wasn't feeling well today so she was here and was sleeping but I guess she had to use the bathroom so…"

Michonne sighed again and bent down so she was at eye level with Carl, "Do you mind if I go talk to your dad for a minute?"

Carl squinted at her but nodded.

"I'll be right down Carl." Rick said as his son proceeded to go back down stairs. He turned to Michonne as she began to walk back to the room and he sighed as he walked after her.

"Michonne…" Rick said as he entered the room.

"I should kill you Rocky." She dryly responded.

"I know."

"You're lucky I believe a child deserves a father in their life."

He sighed and sat next to her, "I know."

Silence.

"...I'm hungry."

"Dinner is pretty much done. It's spaghetti. Carl's favorite. Do you want to eat with us...or?"

Michonne let a large sigh and got up, "Might as well Rocky the kid already saw me." She said as she left his room and proceeded downstairs.

Rick rubbed his hands over his face but followed after her. "Carl! Dinner is ready!" He shouted as he came down the stairs. "You want to set up some plates and forks for our guest?" He asked as he met his son at the bottom of the stairs.

"Okay...is she gonna be staying with us?" Carl asked looking up at his dad.

Rick sighed, he should have known that his son would still have questions, "no she isn't gonna be staying with us."

Carl glanced back at Michonne who was sitting patiently at their kitchen table, "she doesn't look sick to me just...grumpy."

Rick glanced over at Michonne and then back at his son, "yeah well you didn't look sick either and someone still wanted to come home right?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

Carl broke out into a shy smile, "Yeah, I guess…"

Rick chuckled and lightly ruffled his son's hair, "Go get those plates so we can eat."

Carl nodded and ran off of to the kitchen. As he entered the kitchen he and Michonne shared a brief glance. Michonne turned to Rick and glanced at him, sighing, and then pointing her head in the direction of the kitchen indicating for him to cover as Carl placed the plates on the table.

Rick walked over to the kitchen and placed the food on their plates as Carl sat. Rick sat down and they all began to eat in silence until Carl broke it. "Dad I really really _really_ need the next issue of the avengers comics!"

"I just don't get those things Carl." Rick said as he shook his head.

"Neither does mom! But I really _really_ need it. I heard the next one is even better than the last!"

Rick opened his mouth to say something but then Michonne spoke catching him off guard, "the next issue is good." She said quietly, seemingly to herself.

Rick and Carl both squinted at Michonne as she spoke. "What?" Carl asked wanting to make sure she was actually talking to them about the same topic.

"The next issue…" Michonne said glancing at Carl, pausing to eat, "...It is better. A lot of action. You should get it for him Rick."

Rick watched her, still confused. He wasn't expecting her to interact with his son since she was so adamant about not meeting him before. But now it seemed like she was...willing and making an effort even if she didn't openly express that to him.

"You read comics?" Carl asked.

Michonne nodded, "Mhm. A lot of them."

"I didn't know girls read comics!" Said Carl with genuine shock in his voice.

"Well your dad is a guy and he doesn't read comics." Michonne said with a shrug and slight smirk.

Carl thought for a minute and then nodded. "Dad how come you don't read comics and uh…" Carl stopped trying to recall Michonne's name.

"Michonne." She responded.

"And Michonne does?" Carl asked, finishing his sentence.

Rick opened his mouth but was interrupted by Michonne again before he can speak. "Cause your dad is definitely not cool." Michonne said with a bit of a smile.

Carl laughed a bit, "sorry dad."

Rick glanced between them and smiled, "I guess I can't be as cool as you guys then."

Michonne shrugged and got up from her seat, taking her now empty plate with her, "you got that right Rocky." She said with a smirk as she walked over to her sink.

Carl's brow furrowed, "Why are you calling my dad Rocky?"

Michonne chuckled a bit at his curiosity and turned to Carl, "uh well…"

"Let's save that story for another night." Rick said stopping her sentence as he also got up.

Michonne chuckled a bit, "Yeah, what Rocky said."

Carl squinted but moved on, "what was my dad like at my age?"

"Just a big old dork." Michonne responded as she smiled to herself, walking out of the kitchen with Carl soon following behind her in a similar way that Rick often did.

"I was not a dork!" Rick said in defense of himself as he entered the living room.

Carl laughed, "Dad you were a dork?"

Michonne smiled, "yep he was. And I was that dorks friend." She said as she sat on the couch.

Carl chuckled again, "how come I've never seen you here before?"

Michonne smiled a bit, "I moved to New York for a while but I decided to come back home."

"What was New York like?" Carl asked.

"The complete opposite of here. Loud and lots of lights and lots of people. And things actually stay open past ten." She said with a bit of a smile.

"Dad we should go to New York one day!" Carl said excitedly.

"Maybe one day son." Rick responded with a light smile.

Carl turned back to Michonne, "do you have a kid too?"

Michonne opened her mouth to speak but now it was Rick's time to interrupt. "Alright son I think Michonne should get some rest now."

"But dad!" Carl protested.

"You'll be able to ask her more questions later, now I think you have a room to clean. Or I can't get you that comic…"

Carl gasped excitedly and ran off to his room to clean.

"You have a good kid." Michonne said with a soft smile once Carl was out of his sight.

"Yeah...he asks a lot of questions." Rick said with an apologetic smile as he sat down next to her on the couch.

Michonne smiled a bit, "its okay...I like him actually."

Rick smiled and raised an eyebrow, "really?"

"Yeah he's way cooler than you." Michonne said with a smirk as she got up and began walking up the stairs.

Rick smiled and followed her, "I think he likes you too."

"Well clearly the poor kid is deprived of comic lovers in his life." Michonne said with a shrug as they entered the bedroom.

"And you plan on sticking around right?" Rick said with a grin, "To allow him to have some comic lovers in his life?"

Michonne rolled her eyes and smirked at him as she sat down, "Don't get too excited Rocky."

Rick grinned and sat next to her, pulling her close and giving her light kisses on her cheek. "You like my kid." He said happily.

"Yeah but not you so bring it down a few notches." Michonne said even though she wore a soft smile.

"Keep telling yourself that." He said with a smile as he trailed kisses down her jaw.

She pulled away from him and smiled a bit, "that kid of yours is just down the hall so calm your libido down."

Rick chuckled lightly and nodded, "alright...for now." He said with a smirk.

Michonne rolled her eyes and smirked a bit, "whatever."

Once nightfall had come Rick was in Carl's room doing their usual bedtime routine. That consisted of a chat of each other's day and some light reading. When they were done they both entered Rick's room where Michonne was reading again.

"Someone wanted to say goodnight to you." Rick said with Carl by his side.

Michonne smiled softly, "Goodnight Carl."

Carl smiled back, "Goodnight Michonne." There was a pause and he looked up at his dad who nodded down at him. "Um, I was wondering...if maybe I could read some of the comics you have. My dad said you brought some here so I was just wondering…" He asked a bit nervously.

Michonne chuckled a bit, noting how him and Rick both share the same nervous characteristics, "tell you what Carl if you do good at school next week you can come over and choose whichever ever comic you want."

Carl gasped excitedly, "really?!"

Michonne smiled and nodded, "really."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He said excitedly, "Okay, goodnight and thank you!" He repeated as he ran out the room.

Rick laughed lightly as his son left the room and he laid next to Michonne. "Keep up with this comic stuff and soon you'll be his favorite."

Michonne chuckled a bit, "you can read them too if you like."

"Yeah I'll pass." Rick said with a smirk.

A lull fell over them and Michonne turned to him, "I never asked you how your hand was." She said quietly.

Rick turned to her and smiled a bit, "You know I'll be fine."

"You know I don't like when you fight Rick." She said with a slight sigh.

"I would do it again in a heartbeat."

"I know but now you have to wait longer to get back to work."

"I'll be fine." Rick responded as he laced his fingers with hers. Another comfortable silence fell on them. "Do you want to talk about last night?"

Michonne sighed, "Not really."

Rick glanced at her, "but we should."

After a few minutes Michonne nodded, "we were together for my last 5 years in New York. And we got pregnant, it wasn't planned but we were happy." Michonne glanced at him and then continued, "And then my kid died and something like that it either makes you closer or can kill the relationship you know? It killed us." She paused "He died when I was home with him so I blamed myself for it and so did he. And he would come home drunk and we argued a lot. So I left."

"Did he ever touch you?" Rick asked squinting at her.

She turned to him and smiled a bit at his concern, "No Rick he didn't. We just argued every day. It wasn't a good environment."

There was another silence between them.

"What was his name?" Rick gently asked.

Silence again.

Rick was beginning to think that was the end of their conversation until Michonne spoke again.

"Andre Anthony." She glanced to him and smiled a bit, "I've told you how much I liked that name."

Rick smiled softly at her, "yeah I remember." He brought the back of her hand to his lips and gently kissed her, "thank you." He said softly.

Michonne smiled a bit and moved closer to him and she kissed him tenderly on the lips. "Thank _you_ Rocky." She gently cupped his hand on his face and smiled "you're annoying but I guess I like you." She said with a smile.

Rick flushed a bit at her gentle touch, "I like you too."

Michonne smiled widely and kissed him again, "Oh I know. It's pretty obvious. Carl is going to notice your stares at some point, you know."

"I think he will be okay with us dating if you keep giving him comics…" Rick said as he leaned into her and gave her small kisses on her jaw.

Michonne smiled a bit and raised an eyebrow, "Oh so we're dating now? When did that happen?"

"I think it was confirmed when you rode my face in your car…" Rick whispered into her ear.

Michonne sighed and rolled her eyes, moving away from him, "Leave me alone Rocky."

Rick chuckled lightly and pulled her back over to him, lightly kissing her shoulder. "I like you…" Rick softly said again.

Michonne rolled her eyes but smiled as she ran one hand through his curls, "yeah, yeah."

 **A/N: I hope you guys liked these two chapters! This was originally gonna be one but I liked it better as two. Chapter 7 has been something I was thinking of since I got the idea for this story so i hope yall liked it and also enjoyed the way carl and michonne met. The next chapters should be happier haha. As always thank you for faves/follows/reviews. Gonna respond to you guys now! :)**

 **Firefly-class: thank you!**

 **Midnights-AM-Child: idk why but i got 0 notifications about your review but thank you for your kind words! I love find my way back so it means alot :)**

 **Guest: thank you! I agree that they are healing eachother and while they are still in the process these chapters were a good turning point for them.**

 **Selfyshhhluv: Lol! I am the same way when a fave story updates so I totally understand your pain haha. I agree just having one person in your life isn't good and she will be seeing sasha again so no worries! Lol I am a terrible skater so I'm glad you enjoyed that flashback!**

 **Alexis: continue to leave reviews in whatever language is best for you! Google translate is here for a reason haha. Thanks for enjoying the flashback, rick is forever trying to look at the booty haha :)**

 **Flacagonzales: yes for right now rick is the person she is opening too cause he is the most important person from her past! Also LOL at my guess at your username i was laughing at myself when i read that hahaha**

 **Gdyoung59: no worries lori wont pop back up for a bit! I hope you liked the way carl was introduced to michonne! Thanks for your review :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

"What's next on the mission Michonne?" Carl asked excitedly. As usual he was up early and so was Michonne as Rick slept. And now they were both on super-secret mission to clean the kitchen.

"Okay, so we've completed the mission of cleaning the dishes so now we have to work on our next one are you ready Carl Grimes?" She asked pointing a finger at him and squinting as she talked to him at eye level, her voice serious as if cleaning the kitchen was of utmost importance.

"Yes I'm ready!" Carl replied excitedly as he bounced on his heels.

"Okay, the next mission is to clean the table. But! There is a laser grid you have to move through _and_ a shark pit you have to jump over!" Michonne said pointing out to the space between them and table.

Carl gasped, "a shark pit?!"

Michonne nodded, "Mhm, do you think you can handle it?" She asked raising an eyebrow at him.

Carl thought for a moment and then nodded excitedly. "Yes I can!"

"Alright Grimes Godspeed and good luck." She said, seriously with a short nod and a handshake.

Carl returned her nod and then looked out to the kitchen, seriously as if he was scanning the landscape and attempting to figure out his best plan. After a moment he began slowly walking through the kitchen, bending backwards and forwards, squatting low to the ground and jumping. When he made it to the location of their shark pit he paused and then did as big as a leap his small legs can do, stopping right in front of the kitchen table. He turned to Michonne and grinned widely.

Michonne smiled and clapped, "Woo! Carl Grimes does it again! He's amazing! He's unstoppable! Is there anything he can't do?" Michonne said excitedly as she walked over to him a sponge and some paper towels in her hand.

Carl smiled happily as Michonne wiped down the table and he dried it after her. "Dad never made cleaning this much fun!"

"That's cause he's just not as cool as us." Michonne said as she flipped her locs that were up in a high ponytail and smiled widely.

"Oh really?" Rick asked with a smirk as he leaned against his kitchen entrance.

"Dad!" Carl said running over to his dad and giving him a hug. "'Michonne and I were cleaning and it was soooo much fun!"

Rick raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Michonne, "cleaning was fun?"

Michonne nodded, "someone has to keep this place neat Rocky" she said with a smirk.

Rick looked down at Carl, "you ready to start cleaning the whole house son?" He asked with a raised eyebrow

"As long as I can do it with Michonne!" Carl said happily.

Rick smiled and raised an eyebrow at Michonne. She shrugged, "what can I say Rocky I'm a great influence on the kids."

Rick chuckled lightly and looked down at his son, "did you eat breakfast?" Carl nodded. "Alright would you mind taking a break from cleaning so maybe we can go to the park?"

Carl nodded excitedly, "I'll go change!" He said as he ran off to his room.

Once Carl had left the kitchen Rick walked over to Michonne and wrapped his arms behind her as she was cleaning the stovetop, giving her light kisses on the neck.

"Now Rocky you know it's too early to be sappy." Said Michonne with a smirk as she continued to clean.

"Mhm…" Rick said as he continued to kiss her neck.

"You're annoying…" Michonne said with a small smile.

"Carl likes you, you know what that means?" Rick said in between kissing her neck.

"That you can win him over with some comics and putting him on secret missions to clean the kitchen?" Michonne said as she turned to face him.

Rick smiled widely at her, "that you gotta stick around. He's gonna be asking about you whenever you aren't here."

"I guess I can come over and visit him…" Michonne said with a shrug and a small smile.

"Just him?" Rick asked with smirk as he leaned in kissed her gently, slipping his tongue into her mouth, dancing with hers.

Michonne smiled as they kissed and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself into him.

"Dad! I can't find my sneakers!" Carl shouted from upstairs effectively halting Rick and Michonne's kissing.

Rick pulled away slightly and sighed, pressing her forehead against her. Michonne chuckled lightly, "Your son is calling you."

Rick smiled lightly at her, "just him?" He asked repeating his previous question to her

"Dad!" Carl called out to his father again.

Michonne chuckled again as Rick pulled away from her. She shrugged, "I don't know maybe there is some other guy but you know…" She said playfully as she smiled.

Rick smiled at her as he began to exit the kitchen walking backwards, "I heard that other guy is pretty great."

"Da-"

"I'm coming Carl!" Rick responded as he shook his head and turned making his way up the stairs.

Michonne laughed lightly as she watched him go.

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After about an hour of everyone getting ready and packing a few snacks and some drinks Carl, Rick and Michonne were walking over to the park. Carl was out in front, leading the way as Rick and Michonne were a few feet behind him their hands brushing together every now and then. They were silent as they walked, sharing small glances every now and then.

"I gotta call my mom." Michonne said with a sigh after some time.

"What for?" Rick asked as they walked.

Michonne sighed again, "The whole reason Mike was here is because she told him where I was. I guess they've kept in contact after I left. I gotta talk to her before Mike does cause then I'm sure I won't ever hear the end of it." There was a pause as they caught up with Carl at a crosswalk and they crossed the street together. Once they were safely across Carl regained the lead on them. "How bad was he? Once you were done with him?" Michonne asked.

Rick sighed, "his nose might be broken…he may also have some sore ribs cause he fell down your stairs."

Michonne sighed and folded her arms over her chest as they stopped walking again. They began walking and Carl's pace quickly went from a brisk walk to a run as they made it to the entrance of the park.

"Carl!" Rick called out to his son, causing Carl to turn to him. "Stay where you can see us. We'll be right over here." Rick said as he pointed to a nearby bench.

"Okay dad!" Carl said as he ran off to the monkey bars.

Michonne and Rick sat down on a bench as Rick continued their conversation. "Look, I didn't push him down the stairs he just fell back...after I punched him."

Michonne pursed her lips together, both their gazes fixed on Carl as he ran around the park, "I appreciate you kicking his ass but you couldn't just give the man a black eye?"

"We should be glad I left it at a broken nose." Rick replied in a matter of fact tone.

Michonne nodded a bit, "you're right."

"He's a lawyer too?" Rick asked.

"Yup."

"...you think he'll press charges?" Rick asked, now looking over at her as he furrowed his brow.

There was a pause as Michonne thought. Finally she let out a large sigh and a shrug, "I don't know Rick. Before all of this I would say no. But I don't know."

Rick looked at her for a moment and then returned his eyes back to Carl. "Yeah maybe you should talk to your mom first."

Michonne sighed and nodded, "Yup." She responded.

After several minutes of silence Rick turned to her again, scanning her face as she looked out. While the park wasn't filled with kids there were still a good amount running around. "I should've asked you if you were okay with coming here…"

"I'm fine."

"You could have stayed at home if you wanted."

"And then you'll have to answer a million and one questions from Carl about why I stayed home so why not go?" She glanced over at him, noticing how he was staring at her with the look he sometimes wore when he was around her. As if he was trying to decipher every word she said and figure out the meaning behind it. "Stop staring." She said with a sigh.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Rocky you know if didn't want to come here I wouldn't have come. I'm not 100% I don't know when I will be." She glanced over at him and then back at her view of the park. "But…this is me trying. You don't need to watch over me like I'm gonna break at any moment. I'm okay."

Rick stared at her for another few minutes before turning back to Carl, "just let me know when you aren't."

Michonne nodded, "I will."

After several minutes of silence Carl ran over to them. "I'm hungry!" He announced once he was in front of them.

Rick laughed lightly and pulled out a packed sandwich from Michonne's large bag and handed it to his son. Carl sat himself in between them and ate happily as he swung his legs. Once he was done he jumped off the bench, "Bye!" He said excitedly as he ran off.

"Carl!" Rick called to him, causing his son to turn back to him.

"20 more minutes!"

Carl sighed and pouted slightly but didn't protest before running back in the direction of park.

"We could have stayed longer." Michonne said after a moment, glancing over at Rick.

"We can go." Rick responded.

Michonne sighed and rolled her eyes, "you're annoying."

Rick smirked a bit and nodded, he let his hand rest on top of hers. "I know."

After 20 more minutes of running around Carl joined Rick and Michonne back on their bench, they gathered their things and exited, with Carl walking in the middle of them. "Can you tell me more about what my dad was like when he was younger?" Carl asked after some silence.

Michonne smiled to herself, "He was a dork."

"Why am I always the dork here?" Rick asked.

Michonne smiled, 'Because you were! And he was _super_ annoying."

Carl laughed as Rick rolled his eyes, "What did he do that was annoying?"

"Well he would always talk to me in class!"

"You talked back!" Rick recalled.

"Yes I did but who would get in trouble? Not your dad it was me. So I would always go to detention because your dad just couldn't stop talking."

Rick chuckled as he recalled the way Michonne would always glare at him when she got detention. "But I would always wait for you."

Michonne smiled softly and nodded, "He did. And he would always have some chocolate to butter me up. But guess what?"

Carl looked up at her, wanting her story to continue, "What?"

"He would just get me in trouble the next day! Annoying." Michonne said pointing to Rick with a smirk.

Rick chuckled again, "Son if you ever make a girl mad just bring her some chocolate and all will be forgiven."

"Or just don't make her mad." Michonne said with a raised eyebrow.

Rick laughed, "Or that."

00000000000000000000000000

 **11 years earlier**

Michonne was exiting school, her second detention of the week thanks to Rick. He had made a joke in class about their teacher and a loud laugh from Michonne gained her a detention slip. Her textbooks were pressed against her as she left the school, wondering what excuse she should think of to tell her parents as to why she had once again stayed late at school.

"Hey girl." Rick said with a grin as he leaned against his car that was parked right in front of school.

Michonne sighed and rolled her eyes, "I'm mad at you." She said as she began walking away from him and towards home.

Rick followed behind her, "It's not my fault you laughed!"

Michonne stopped walking and turned to him, glaring, and then continued walking faster than before.

Rick sighed and followed after her again, "I've got something for you…." Rick said before digging in his backpack and pulling out her favorite, a big cat bar, with a grin.

Michonne glanced at him and sighed before snatching the chocolate bar out of his hand. "...I'm still mad at you." She said as she began to unwrap the candy.

Rick grinned, wrapping his arm around her waist, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "I promise not to get you in trouble again."

"That's what you said last time…" Michonne said in between bites of her chocolate.

"Yes but this time I mean it."

"You also said that last time." Michonne said with a smirk as she crumbled up her wrapper and finished her chocolate bar.

"Were you hungry?" Rick asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Shut up." Michonne said as she laughed and lightly hit his arm.

Rick stopped walking and looked back at his car, "Can I give you a ride home?"

"I'm just a few blocks away Rick."

"Yeah but my car is 2 blocks away." Rick said with a smile.

Michonne sighed, "Fine. But you owe me another chocolate bar."

Rick grinned as they turned and began walking back to their car "Deal."

000000000000000000000000

 **Present Day**

"Dad can I go read comics now?" Carl asked once they were back at home.

"Go son." Rick responded with a soft smile as Carl ran up the stairs before the sentence could finish. "...wash your hands!" Rick called out after a moment. He heard a click of a door and sighed, realizing Carl's hands were gonna go unwashed for now.

Michonne chuckled a bit as she sat on his couch, "I don't think he washed his hands Rocky."

"Yeah I don't think so either…" Rick said with a smirk as he sat next to her. They fell into silence until Rick broke it, "you sure you okay?" He asked.

"Rick…" She started.

"I just want to make sure." He responded.

A pause. "Rick I don't want you asking me every day if I'm okay." Michonne said turning to him.

He squinted at her, "why?"

"When my kid died I got asked that every day and I'm tired of it." She said softly with a shrug, "I just...Rick I was a mess in front of you. I'm never like that. With anyone. I didn't have to tell you about Mike coming but I did. You know why?" She continued as he gave her a small shake of the head, "because I think I'm okay with not being okay when I'm with you. And I wasn't before and I get that. But now you can stop asking cause you'll know when I'm not okay...okay?" She said with a gentle smile.

Rick smiled sheepishly and then leaned in to give her a gentle kiss on the lips. "Okay." He said softly once he pulled away from her.

"Good...now stop being annoying." Michonne said with a smirk.

Rick grinned widely at her as he pulled her closer to him, kissing her gently again as he gripped her waist. He smiled when he felt a hand rest on his chest. As they kissed his tongue danced with hers and he pulled her onto his lap, lightly playing with the bottom of her shirt.

"Dad can you-" Carl stopped once he got the living room entrance way and seeing his dad and his "friend" now kissing. Michonne quickly pulled away at hearing Carl's voice, practically jumping off of Rick's lap and onto the other side of the couch.

"What are you doing?" Carl asked squinting at them as he tilted his head.

"Uh…" Rick said as he tried to think of something to tell his son as his face began to turn red.

"You gotta get the kid some bells Rocky fucking hell…" Michonne mumbled as her head was now buried in her hands.

"Dad?" Carl asked as he made his way over to them, still curious as to what was happening.

"Uh…" Rick started again, "son well…" He said as Carl planted himself in front his father. "Michonne and I...are together…"

Carl squinted, still not quite understanding. "Dad we're all together." He said, folding his arms as if it was obvious.

Michonne groaned, annoyed at Rick that he was bouncing around the subject. She dropped her hands from her face and looked at Carl. "Carl, your father and I are in a relationship. Like...we date, we kiss sometimes, we hold hands sometimes. That sort of thing."

Carl thought for a moment as he took in Michonne's words, "so...you like each other?" He said glancing at Rick and then Michonne.

Michonne glanced over at Rick, who seemed to still be recovering from his embarrassment. "Yes Carl, we like each other….even if he is a dork." Michonne said breaking out into a smile.

Carl smiled widely and nodded, accepting her explanation, "are you going to get married now?"

Michonne's eyes widen at the idea of marriage and she shot a look over to Rick to indicate it was his turn to take over the conversation.

"Uh no Carl we aren't getting married before you get married to someone you have to date them." Rick said, he glanced over at Michonne who nodded at his response.

Carl thought for a moment and nodded again, "okay!"

Rick let out a sigh as his son approved of his relationship with Michonne, "okay, so any more questions?"

Carl shook his head and then changed his mind nodding instead, "Dad can you help me reach a book in my room?" He asked, returning to his previous question that was his whole reason for coming downstairs in the first place.

Rick chuckled and nodded as he got up, "yeah, come on son." He said, ruffling his son's hair. He shared a glance with Michonne and a smile before making his way upstairs.

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After grabbing that book for Carl and eventually helping him with some homework, Rick was now downstairs preparing dinner for them as Michonne was upstairs. She sighed and opened her phone and placed it to her ear, waiting for her mother, Beverly, to pick up.

"Hey mom." She said after a few rings.

"Michonne." Her mother responded in a dry tone, clearly a genetic trait. It was obvious in her greeting that she already heard about what had happened from Mike's point of view.

Michonne sighed, 'What did you hear?"

"That Mike was trying to talk to you and he got attacked by some guy." Beverly responded.

"He wasn't some guy mom it was Rick. You remember him right?"

"Rick Grimes?! Well what is he doing beating up men? Last I heard he got married." Beverly wondered.

"He did. But he's divorced now...And we started talking again."

"...Oh have we?" She responded curiously.

Michonne rolled her eyes and sighed, "Yes mom."

"And have you been doing anything else besides talking?"

"Oh my god mom!" Michonne said with a groan.

Her mother chuckled, "sorry! I had to ask you know you were just smitten about that boy."

"Yeah, yeah I know. Can we go back to the topic at hand?" Michonne said with a sigh as she tried to redirect the conversation away from her and Rick.

"I'm listening."

"So, Mike came here and he was being a…" She paused, thinking of a word to accurately describe him without cursing. "...look mom he was being a piece of shit okay?" She heard her mom sigh but she continued. "Since I didn't want to go back to New York he asked for my kid's things mom...and I'm not giving him his stuff so I was upset and yelling at him and Rick heard me and he came over and they fought I didn't see what happened."

"Mom?" Michonne asked after several minutes of silence passed.

"I'm here." Beverly said with a sigh. "So he asked for Andres things?"

"Yes."

"He didn't tell me he was going to do that."

"That's cause he's an asshole mom." Pause. "Sorry." Michonne said after cursing again.

"Should I talk to him?" Her mother asked.

"No just leave him….listen did he say anything about pressing charges on rick or suing him for like medical bills or something?" Michonne asked.

After a moment her mother sighed, "I think he was bouncing around the idea of suing for medical expenses, his nose was broken."

Michonne sighed and put her head in her hand, "fuck."

"Language miss." Her mother responded.

"Sorry, sorry!" Michonne sighed again, "do you know if he's still down here?"

"I believe so. You're going to try to talk him out of it aren't you?"

"I'm gonna have to." She said with another sigh. As she was on the phone she heard Rick call from downstairs.

"Boss! Dinner is ready!" He shouted.

"Mom I'll talk to you later okay? Rick made some dinner."

"Oh so he's cooking for you too?" Her mother asked, and Michonne could hear the smirk in her voice.

"Bye mom!" Michonne said quickly hanging up before her mother can continue.

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Once dinner was done Carl sat in the living room playing as Michonne and Rick cleaned up. "I called my mom." Michonne said as she handed off newly washed dishes to Rick for him to dry.

"How was it?" He asked.

"It was okay I guess." She paused before continuing. "There's a chance Mike may be suing you."

"What?!" Rick asked, his brow furrowing as he squinted at Michonne. He turned off the running water thinking he may have misheard.

Michonne sighed and turned the water back on, "I don't want your son to hear. But my mom said he has a broken nose and so he may try to ask you to pay for his medical bills."

Rick sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "If he sues how much would it be?"

"I don't know." Michonne said with a shrug, "If it needs surgery it could be over 8,000 dollars…."

Rick groaned, "Jesus Christ. Doesn't he have health insurance?" He muttered as he ran his hands over his face.

"I know he does but he's being spiteful." Pause. "I'll talk to him." Michonne calmly said.

"The last time you talked to him he was an asshole."

"Yeah and it probably won't be any different but I'm still gonna do it." Michonne said with a one shoulder shrug.

"Boss…"

"Rocky." Michonne said with a raised eyebrow.

"At least let me be there."

"No." Michonne said as she moved to start washing pots.

"Michonne."

"Rick, the last time you were there he got a broken nose and now you may be owing him upwards of 8,000 dollars and we're lucky that he isn't pressing charges on you. You can't be there. I know him. I'll see if maybe he can change his mind. Did you forget I'm a lawyer too?" She asked as she cleaned her voice gentle but firm in her decision.

After some silence she finally turned off the water and turned to him, "It'll be fine, Rick." She said softly as she grabbed her hand.

"If he doesn't change his mind?" Rick asked.

"Then you'll be okay." Michonne said smilingly softly as she then gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

Rick flushed slightly and smiled at her kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist and laid a soft kiss on her lips.

"Careful Rocky, before Carl walks in on us again." Michonne said with a smirk.

Rick grinned widely and kissed her again before pulling away from her lips. "Carl! It's time to get ready for bed!"

"But dad!" Carl protested from the living room.

"No but's! Start getting ready upstairs I'll be there in a minute!"

They heard a sigh from Carl but it was followed by a small steps going upstairs.

Michonne chuckled a bit, "You're such a kill joy!"

Rick grinned and kissed her again, slipping his tongue into her mouth for a moment and the pulling away. "I think we need some private time…"

Michonne rolled her eyes but smiled as she broke from his grasp, "Go handle your kid and we'll see what private time you can get it."

"Mhm…" Rick said with a smirk as he walked backwards in order to look at her as he exited the kitchen.

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Michonne was in bed reading with her hair piled into a high bun as Rick entered the room. She smirked when she heard the door lock behind him but kept her eyes on the book. "Boss…." Rick said as he drawled out her nickname as he slipped into bed next to her. He began lightly kissing and sucking her neck.

Michonne smirked, lightly tilting her chin up so he had more access to his neck but she continued to look down. "Stop being so horny Rocky."

Rick smiled widely as he continued to suck on her neck, he brought one arm around her waist and slid his hand down the oversize shirt she wore to bed and he trailed his hand under her shirt, lightly tracing his fingers over her stomach.

"I have to work tomorrow and you're gonna give me a hickey Rocky…" Michonne said with a half-smile on her face as she closed her book, placing it on the night stand. She then ran her hands through his hair.

Rick smiled as she put away her book, focusing her attention on him. He pulled her over so she was in the middle of the bed. He straddled her so her legs were between his and he pulled her shirt off of her so she was sitting under him in only her underwear. He leaned down and kissed her deeply as his hand trailed up to her breasts, lightly playing with them as they kissed.

He smiled as he kissed her when he heard a small moan escape her. He pulled away and trailed his lips down her jaw, neck, clavicle, stopping to mimic the way he sucked on her neck a few minutes ago to now do so on her breast. He could feel Michonne's hand run through his hair. He trailed one hand down and gently began rubbing her folds through her underwear. He smiled when he heard another moan escape her.

He continued to gently rub her folds as he pulled away from her breast, leaving a faint hickey right above her nipple. He trailed his tongue down her body, stopping when he got to the lace trim of her underwear. He moved back slightly and began lightly kissing her through her quickening dampening underwear.

"Rick…" Michonne moaned quietly as her fingers ran through his curls.

Rick smiled as he heard his name and pulled her underwear to the side. He began to gently lick her folds and he continued when he could feel a tug on his hair and soft moans. He darted his tongue in and out of her as he began to rub her with his thumb.

"Rick…" She moaned again, a little louder than before with her eyes now closed.

"Shh…" Rick said with a smirk as he continued. He could feel her body tense and her breathing quicken as she came, making sure to taste all of her as she did so.

"Fuck...Rick…" She moaned as she roughly pulled his hair in order to get him stop. "You need to stop or you're gonna have to explain sex real soon to your kid." She finally said once he was looking up at her with a wide toothed grin.

Rick smiled and moved back up to give her a deep kiss on the lips. He slid down her underwear and released himself from his pants, slipping his dick into her without missing a beat. He wrapped his arms under her and breathed into her neck as he groaned, giving her slow, deep strokes.

"Ohh...my god…" Michonne moaned softly with her arms wrapped around his lower back.

Rick roughly kissed her neck as he thrusted into her quickening his pace as he began to feel scratches being made on his back.

"Rick…" Michonne moaned out again.

"Jesus…" Rick mumbled into her neck as he thrusted into her as he felt her tighten and heard soft gasps come from her. He could feel her coming and as soon as he did he did the same releasing into her. They stayed in the same position for several minutes as they regained their composure before he slipped out of her and fell to the side of her. He pulled her into him and gently kissed her shoulder.

Michonne smiled softly, resting her hand on top of his hand. She closed her eyes for a moment before their silence was broken.

"Did Andre look like you?" Rick asked quietly.

Michonne sighed, "Rick."

"Just little bit of the weight boss…" He said, gently.

After moment of silence Michonne began to talk, "I think he looked like me. He had my eyes and lips. But he had his dad's nose and face shape." She smiled softly to herself as she thought about it. "Yeah he looked like me…" She concluded.

Rick smiled lightly and gently kissed her on the lips, "Thank you."

"One of these days I'll show you a picture of him."

"I would love that."

Michonne smiled a bit, "I know." She said as she turned to her side so they were spooning. "Go to bed rocky."

Rick chuckled a bit and kissed her shoulder once more, "Goodnight boss."

 **A/N: Okay, question. I'm from NYC where we call our sidewalks blocks do people in other places call their sidewalks the same thing? As I was writing the flashback I couldn't figure it out and google was no help lol. I've been out of state before but let's be real here I don't talk to the local's lol. Anywhooo, thanks for liking the last two chapters you guys are too sweet! I think this chapter was much needed after the other ones haha. If you didn't like those chapters my bad lol maybe you liked this one better? Who knows man. As always thank you for the faves/follows/reviews. :)**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Michonne was on her lunch break from her Atlanta law firm. After talking to her mother again she was able to arrange a meeting with Mike at a cafe near her law firm. She wasn't planning on this conversation being long and after work she just wanted to go home and more specifically she wanted to see Rick. As she entered the cafe she rolled her eyes when seeing the back of Mike's head.

"Mike." She said dryly as she sat across from him.

Mike's eyes met her. He had a bandage over his obviously crooked nose, along with some bruising. He once again looked tired as if he hadn't manage to get any sleep since coming here. "Michonne."

"Let's just cut to the chase here Mike." She glanced down at her watch. "We have an hour here and after this I don't want to see you again. So how much do you want?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest.

Mike sighed and leaned back in his chair, "you're talking to me like I'm on trial Michonne."

"How much do you want?" She asked again, ignoring his comment, her tone more annoyed than before.

"You should be nicer to the person who could be suing your…" He paused, "...what is he anyway?"

"Why does it matter to you?" She asked, clearly annoyed by his avoidance of her question.

Mike thought for a moment and shrugged, "Dre just died I didn't think you were going to be moving on so quickly."

Michonne's face twitched into a frown for a moment at the mention of her son. "I knew him since I was a kid. Long before I moved to New York. How much do you want?" She asked, for the third time trying to steer the conversation back to the reason they were there in the first place.

"You sleeping with him?" Mike asked with a slight smirk obviously aware that he was bothering her.

"Mike let me make this clear." She said as she leaned closer to him, "I don't care who you are or are not fucking. So stop caring about me." She said then leaning back in her seat.

There was a silence between them and Mike spoke, "8,000."

Michonne rolled her eyes and waved him off, "you know that's not going to happen Mike so what's your second price?"

Mike shrugged, "8,000." He repeated.

"Mike, you are not getting 8,000. You have no witnesses. And we had the same damn health plan. I know you will be covered you're just being spiteful."

Silence.

Mike nodded a bit, "I don't have witnesses. But your….friend or whatever he is….he has a reputation in your little town and I'm sure there are some people who will be able to vouch for his little anger problem." Mike said smugly.

Michonne's face twitched again to a frown. She was sure she would be able to show that he didn't have a case here but he had done his digging like any lawyer would have done. "6,000." She finally responded as she began to barter with him.

"7,500." He responded.

"7,000." She quickly responded.

"7,300." He responded.

"7." She said firmly again. "You're not getting anymore."

Mike drummed his fingers against the table for a moment as he thought. "Fine."

Michonne let out a small sigh of relief. She opened her purse and dug around before finally taking out a checkbook and a pen. She signed a check for 7,000 dollars, ripped it out of her checkbook, and handed it to him.

Mike smirked a bit as he put the check away in his coat pocket. "Oh you have to be sleeping with him if you're paying his bills."

Michonne pushed out her chair as she got up. "He has a kid you asshole." She said, her final words to Mike as she then left.

0000000000000000000000

 **Several hours later**

A light knock came from Rick's door. Carl who was running around his home and pushing off bedtime went to the door and opened it. He smiled widely, at seeing who it was. "Michonne! I didn't get to say bye to you when I left for school!"

Michonne smiled down at him and nodded, "I know I'm sorry I had to wake up early to go to work. Mind if I come in?"

Carl nodded happily as Michonne entered, "Dad! Michonne is here!" He called out.

"Carl, did your dad ever teach you about your inside voice?" Michonne asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nope!" Carl happily responded.

Michonne chuckled at him, "I can tell." She responded, as she heard Rick coming down he looked like he had just gotten out of the shower as he walked downstairs shirtless with sweatpants on and a few damp curls stuck to his forehead.

"Hey boss." He said with a wide smile once he made it downstairs. He planted himself in front of her and wrapped one arm around her waist, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

Michonne playfully rolled her eyes and lightly tapped his chest, "Alright, Rocky I'm sure Carl does not want to see this."

Carl nodded with his arms folded over his chest, "Yeah dad it's gross!" He protested.

Rick laughed, "You'll understand when you like a girl son." He said before kissing Michonne on the cheek again.

"Girls are gross!" Carl said firmly with a pout.

Rick laughed again, "You know son if you were in bed like you were supposed to be you wouldn't have to see this." He said with a shrug as he kissed Michonne again on the cheek.

Carl thought for a moment and then nodded, "Goodnight Michonne! Goodnight dad!" He said before quickly going upstairs.

Rick laughed as his son hurried upstairs, "Now I know how to get him to bed." He said as his kisses began trailing down to her jaw.

Michonne laughed a bit and pulled away from him. She wrapped her index finger around his and led him to the couch to sit. "Look Rocky I'm going to need you to find other ways to get Carl to go to bed." She said as they both sat down.

"But I like this way." Rick said with a smirk as he pulled her closer to him so his arm was wrapped around her waist and his hand resting on her hip.

"You're annoying." Michonne said with a small smile. There was a lull between them before she spoke again. "I saw Mike during my lunch break."

Rick tensed at the sound of his name and furrowed his brow, "What happened?"

"He wanted 8,000 Rick. I got him down to 7." Michonne began.

Rick sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "That's still a lot boss…"

Michonne nodded, "I know. But you don't have to worry about it."

Rick looked up at her and squinted, "What do you mean?"

"I gave him a check." Michonne responded calmly.

Rick groaned and ran a hand over his face, "Michonne…" He said after a moment.

"Rick you have Carl you need to take care of. I'm fine. So I paid it."

"Michonne I could have paid it…" He said with a sigh.

"I know you could've but I think it's important to save your money for your child then worry about paying off the medical bills of my ex." She paused for a moment. "Rick, I didn't pay him because I thought you couldn't I did it because you shouldn't have to worry about this stuff. You didn't ask to be brought into this so I didn't think it was right for you to have to pay him."

They were silent for a moment before Rick spoke again, "...so you paid him because you know I have Carl to take care of…?"

"Yes."

"And because you don't want me to have to worry about the money…?"

"Yes."

Rick paused for a moment, and a soft smile appeared on his face. "You care."

Michonne rolled her eyes, "calm down Rocky."

Rick smiled again and lightly kissed her jaw, "you do. You paid him cause you care about Carl and me." Michonne rolled her eyes again but wore a faint smile. "Michonne...you don't have to worry about Carl or me. You said I didn't ask to be here but uh, if I'm not mistaken I kind of forced myself in your life once I saw you back here."

"Kind of?" Michonne asked with a smirk.

Rick chuckled a bit, "what I'm trying to say is I want to be here. It doesn't have to be you and me. It can be us, you know? Not your shit, not mine. Ours." He said gently.

Michonne smiled softly and nodded, "okay." She agreed.

Rick smiled, "alright anything else?"

Michonne thought for a moment and then turned to him so her body was facing him. "Mike said he talked to people around here. You don't have the best reputation Rocky."

"Yeah I could have told you that…." Rick said with a sigh.

"Yeah but this can be a domino effect Rick. No one has tried to sue you or press charges and then Mike comes here, he may have started some rumblings. And there have been witnesses before. No more fighting Rocky. Some people aren't gonna be subdued with a check."

Rick thought for a moment and sighed again, "it's just…" He paused before continuing, looking down as he spoke, "I think I've gotten better since you came back. But sometimes it's still hard. I think I still have some anger left in me." He said quietly.

"Tell me." Michonne said softly.

He paused again before speaking, "I'm still not sure how much I loved Lori. I loved you I know that. But she was my wife and we had a kid together. And I tried. And I think I tried to the end but at some point...I don't know I guess she stopped. There's a special kind of betrayal when you find out your friend and wife are sleeping together that makes you angry at everyone. I'm still moving through it."

Silence.

Michonne held his hand and gently kissed the back of it in a similar way that he often did to her. "You're already better then when I first came here. When you're angry at something or someone I just need you to tell me. And we can talk about it until you're not angry about it anymore."

Rick nodded as he finally looked up at her, "okay."

Michonne smiled and gently kissed him on the lips, "okay. Besides I need you to get back to work so you can stop bothering me all the time." She said with a smirk.

Rick chuckled and brought her close to him, "when are you gonna stop acting like you don't want me around all the time?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Rocky." She said with a smirk.

"Wanna come upstairs?" Rick said with a wide smile.

"No, I need to go home and shower and sleep."

"You can shower and sleep here…" Rick said the wide smile remaining on his face.

Michonne chuckled a bit and kissed him softly. She pulled away and smiled, "tell you what, I have Thursday off so we can...do some things then." She said with a smirk.

"Some things?" Rick said with a raised eyebrow and a grin.

Michonne laughed at his excitement as she got up from the couch, "yeah some things. But you should come over to my house, no offense but my bed is way better than yours Rocky."

Rick laughed a bit, "and Carl? He has school during the week you know."

"Rocky just bring him with you!" Michonne said her brow furrowing as if to say _duh!_

Rick chuckled a bit at her response, "alright boss I wasn't sure if you ready for a kid running around your fancy house."

Michonne shrugged, "I already let you in so how much worse could it be? Besides at least he could clean unlike some people…." She said, with a smirk as she began to walk towards the door.

Rick grinned and followed behind her, they both stopped at the door, "alright so we'll be at yours Wednesday. 7 works?"

"7 is good."

"Alright…" Rick leaned in and kissed her deeply, pulling her close to him, he trailed one hand down and lightly squeezed her ass before pulling away with a smile.

"Just couldn't help yourself?" Michonne asked with a smirk.

Rick grinned and shrugged, "guess not."

Michonne rolled her eyes and opened the door, stepping out. "See you on Wednesday Rocky."

"See ya boss." Rick said watching her as she left and then closing the door once she was out of sight.

000000000000000000000

 **Wednesday evening**

Carl was excited to say the least as he bounced on Michonne's porch waiting for his dad to follow behind. He spent his time at either his dad's house or his mother's so the thought of being at Michonne's home where he was sure there would be comics made him excited. "Daddddd you walk so slowww!" Carl groaned as his father finally made it to the porch.

Rick chuckled as he rang the doorbell, "not everyone can be as fast as you son." He said, ruffling Carl's hair. The door swung open and Rick smiled as he saw Michonne. She looked like she had just gotten home from work as she was still dressed in a pencil skirt and a bright pink blouse.

"Michonne!" Carl said excitedly with a smile.

"Carl!" She said in a similar fashion to him. "Are you excited to sleep over here for a bit?"

"Yes!" Carl said happily.

"He hasn't stopped talking about since I told him." Rick said.

"Dad was talking a lot about too!" Carl said as his father began to blush a bit.

Michonne raised an eyebrow and smiled as she stepped back into her home to let them in, "is that true Rocky?"

"I mean…" Rick started before he was interrupted by Carl.

"Wow!" Carl said as he looked around the large home, effectively changing the topic. "Dad why isn't our house this big?" He asked turning back to his dad.

Rick chuckled, "cause Michonne over here has that fancy New York money."

Michonne playfully rolled her eyes, "come on Carl I'll show you where you're gonna sleep and then give you a tour okay?"

"I never got a tour!" Rick said acting as if he was offended.

Michonne chuckled a bit as she began walking up the stairs with Carl not far behind. "Carl do you mind if your dad joins us on the tour?"

Carl laughed and nodded, "come on dad!"

"Thanks for the invite." Rick said with a bit of sarcasm though he wore a smile as he followed them.

00000000000000000

 **A few hours later**

After a tour of the home Carl was able to stay up a little later than usual to read through some of Michonne's older comics. Now after a promise from Michonne that he will be able to read them first thing tomorrow when he got home from school he was now sleeping.

Rick entered Michonne's room after putting Carl to sleep. He could hear her shower running and he smirked to himself as he locked the door behind him and walked over to her bathroom. "Want some company?" He asked as she stood under her shower head, her glass shower door slightly foggy. His eyes trailed down her naked body as she turned to him.

"You just gonna stare Rocky or you gonna join me?" Michonne said with a smirk. She couldn't help to chuckle when she noticed the speed at which he removed his clothes and entered the shower.

Rick wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her gently at first and then with more earnest as his erection began to press into her. His tongue danced with hers and one hand moved up her body until it was gently cupping her breast. He moaned as they kissed when he felt her hand softly began tugging at his dick.

Michonne smiled to herself when she heard his moan. She pulled away slightly, so their lips were still touching, as she continued to pull on his dick now adding a second hand.

"Michonne…" Rick breathed out his hands now gripping her ass.

Michonne smiled again as she quickened her pace. His head was now buried in the crook of her neck as he breathed against her, his grip on her ass becoming stronger. He groaned again, "Michonne...wait...fuck…" He breathed out, there was a sigh of relief as she let go of him and his grip on her lessened.

"You alright Rocky?" Michonne said with a smile as she went back over to the water so she was directly under it again.

Rick paused for a moment as he regained his self-control and then he nodded. "Come here."

Michonne raised an eyebrow at him, "you bossing me around?" She said with a smirk.

"Come here." He said his voice a bit rougher than before.

Michonne raised an eyebrow and smirked but she walked over to him. He gently pulled her so she was facing the shower door and pressing against it. He tapped her legs to indicate she should open them and once she did he slid his dick into her folds and she gasped as he did so. He held onto her waist with his hands as he slowly thrusted into her.

"Rick…" She moaned softly as she placed her hands on her shower door to brace herself.

He continued to slowly thrust into her, one hand trailing down to her folds. Slowly rubbing her in a similar fashion.

Michonne let out a small whimper, "Rick...faster…" She moaned.

Rick smirked as he quicken his pace and her moans became louder. He leaned in and began sucking on her neck and he could feel her beginning to come undone her legs slightly beginning to shake as she came. He thrusted into her a few more times before slipping out of her.

Michonne stayed press against the shower door for a moment before turning around to face him. "Jesus Rocky…" She said with a sheepish smile. She turned off the shower water that had now gone cold and her eyes rolled down his body noticing he still had a profound erection. "Really?" She asked with a raised eyebrow as she exited the shower.

Rick grinned as he followed behind her he wrapped an arm around her when she was finished drying off. "Go lay down…" He whispered into her ear.

Michonne smirked and turned to face him. "No, _you're_ gonna go lay down."

Rick raised an eyebrow but after he quickly dried off he went to lay down on the bed. Michonne followed behind him as she got on the bed she straddled him, slowly sliding herself onto him. She moaned lightly as she placed her hands on his chest, swiveling her hips against him. Rick moaned quietly as he trailed his hands down her waist and back before stopping as he began to grab her ass.

"Mi...chonne…" Rick groaned as she quickened her pace and began bouncing on his dick.

She smiled and moaned gently as she could tell that he was close. She brought her hand down and gently grazed the base of his dick with her fingers. She moaned again as she felt Rick buck into her. She knew she was going to come soon so she quickened her pace in order for him to do the same.

"Fuck…." Rick moaned as he could feel her coming again and he came with her bucking into her a few times before he finished. They stayed together for a moment as their breathing slowed before Michonne got off Rick, laying on her side as Rick then wrapped an arm around her.

"I gotta start spending more nights over here…" Rick said after a few moments of silence.

Michonne laughed gently, "Rocky, go to sleep."

Rick chuckled a bit, "you're bossy, you know."

"Yeah whatever." Michonne said as she let out a small yawn.

Rick chuckled again and lightly kissed her shoulder as he closed his eyes.

0000000000000000

 **Early next morning**

"Michonne…" A quiet small voice whispered out. It was just before 7am and Carl was standing next to Michonne's bed waiting for her to wake up as a tired Rick stood next to him. "Michonne…" He repeated again whispering a bit louder than this time and giving her a pat on his head.

Rick yawned sounding as if he was half asleep too, "Carl let her sleep. You're gonna miss the bus."

"But I wanna say bye!" Carl pouted his whispered tone growing louder.

"I'm awake." Michonne said her voice groggy as she rubbed her eyes before opening them.

"Michonne!" Carl said happily as she woke. "I'm going to school now so I wanted to say bye."

Michonne smiled sleepily, "okay, have a good day and learn a lot."

Carl nodded happily and wrapped his arms around her neck, "okay go back to sleep!" Carl said with a smile and pat on her head as he pulled away from her. "Ready!" He said to his father as happily left the room.

Rick chuckled a bit and bent down to give Michonne a kiss before her hand stopped him. "What?"

"I haven't brushed my teeth yet Rocky and I don't think you have either." Michonne said with a raised eyebrow.

Rick sighed, "Really?"

Michonne nodded, "come back to me when you brushed your teeth."

"Dad! We are gonna miss the bus!" Carl shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

Michonne chuckled and waved him off as she heard Carl. "You heard the boy."

"I'm getting a kiss from you." Rick said as he pointed a finger at her as he walked backwards towards the exit.

"You're gonna miss that bus…" Michonne said with a smirk.

"Dad!" Carl called out to him again.

Rick sighed and turned, "I'm coming Carl!"

00000000000000000

After dropping Carl off on at the bus Rick entered Michonne's home to see her beginning to make breakfast, wearing an oversize shirt and flip flops. "Why aren't you sleeping?" Rick said with a yawn as he rubbed his face.

Michonne shrugged, "Your son woke me up. I'm made coffee if you want. You want some eggs?" She said as she stood over her stove, making some eggs for herself.

Rick nodded as he grabbed a mug and poured himself coffee. They moved in a comfortable silence as Michonne placed eggs and toast on a plate, one for her and one for Rick. She also poured herself from coffee, adding milk and sugar, before sitting down as they then ate. After a few minutes Rick glanced at her, "Were you happy when you found out you were pregnant?"

Michonne sighed as she got up putting their dishes in their sink. "You have the worst timing when it comes to asking questions Rocky."

"Is there ever a good time?" He asked.

Michonne sighed again as she washed the dishes. Once she was done she sat across from him again. "He wasn't a planned pregnancy and I was nervous when I found out but I was happy. My mom wanted us to get married." She said with a small smile.

Rick smiled a bit and nodded, "sounds like your mom."

Michonne nodded, "oh yeah some things don't change." She paused for a moment, "once I saw him on the sonogram though there was no more nervousness I was just happy. Really happy. It's crazy knowing you have a kid growing inside you so…" She smiled a bit and shrugged.

Rick smiled tenderly and took her hand, giving it a soft kiss. "Thank you."

"You're such a sap Rocky." She said with a small smile.

Rick smiled and walked over to her side of the table, he wrapped his arms around her and lightly nuzzled his nose in her neck. "You love it."

Michonne chuckled a bit, "leave me alone Rocky."

"No." Rick said with a smile as he continued.

Michonne chuckled again, "you're annoying."

0000000000000000

"I'm hungry!" Carl announced as he entered Michonne's home, just getting home from school.

Michonne laughed, "hello to you too Carl!"

Carl grinned as he took off his backpack, Rick following behind him. "Hi Michonne! Guess what?" He asked excitedly.

"What?" She responded mimicking his excitement.

"I learned a lot today!" He said proudly.

Michonne smiled, "good job Carl!"

"Mhm! Andddd I'm hungry!" He repeated.

Rick laughed and ruffled his son hair, "alright we get it Carl. Ask Michonne if she has any snacks in here and then we'll have dinner later."

"Michonne do you have any snacks?" Carl asked happily.

Michonne chuckled, "yeah, come on." She said as she led him to her kitchen.

00000000000

After dinner Carl was helping Michonne wash the dishes as Rick was upstairs showering. "Guess what?" Carl asked happily as she handed him dishes to dry.

"What?" She responded with an exaggerated excitement.

"I'm gonna be 8 soon!"

"What? You're gonna be so old!" Michonne said pretending to be shocked.

"8 isn't old! Dad is old!"

Michonne laughed, "Yeah, I agree. So when are you gonna be 8?"

"In…." He thought for a moment, "two weeks!"

"Wow, that's exciting! Is your dad throwing you a party?" She asked as she dried her hands and leaned against the sink.

"Yup! I invited alllll my friends today! You're gonna come too right?" He asked, hopeful that she would come.

Michonne smiled softly and nodded, "if you want me there I'll be there. What kind of present do you want?"

Carl smiled widely, "ummmm comics!"

Michonne laughed lightly, "will do."

000000000000000

After putting Carl to bed Michonne and Rick were in bed as well. They laid naked with Rick's arm wrapped around the front of her waist and his nose was nuzzled in the crook of her neck breathing in her scent.

They were like this for several minutes before Michonne broke their comfortable silence. "Carl invited me to his birthday party. How come you didn't tell me his birthday was coming up Rocky?"

Rick pulled away slightly from her, "I wasn't sure if you would want to come to party with a bunch of kids running around. I invited Glenn and Maggie too...she's pregnant remember? Sasha and Daryl will probably be there too you didn't seem like you wanted to talk to her last time so…"

"Well I already told Carl I'll be there." She said with a shrug.

Rick looked up at her and furrowed his brow a bit, "you did?"

Michonne squinted at him, "Rocky do you not want me at your son's birthday party?"

"Of course I do boss but uh...someone else will be there." He spoke tentatively as if he was trying to pick just the right words.

" _Who_?" She asked immediately spotting the hesitation in his words.

Rick sighed and completely pulled away from her so he was directly looking at her, "his mother." He finally said.

Michonne rolled her eyes and sighed but remained quiet as she glimpsed over at Rick waiting for him to explain.

"Carl and I were talking about it a few days ago and he asked if his mom will be there. And I was going to say no but you know the kid gives you those damn eyes so...she's coming."

"So did you not want to invite me because she's coming or because their kids, pregnant ladies, and old friends there?" She asked giving him an unimpressed side eye.

Rick groaned, "I promise you it's not because of her."

Silence.

After a moment she sighed, "you know I'm going to have to meet her now right?"

Rick squinted, "what?"

"I'm not going to meet her for the first time at Carl's party. So let her know that we should meet." She said as she turned to her side, preparing to go to sleep.

Rick sighed and ran his hand over his face, "are you sure?"

"Rocky she is the mother of your kid and if Carl hasn't at least told her you're seeing someone already I'm sure he will eventually so why not get this over with."

Rick sighed and finally nodded, before wrapping an arm around her again so they were spooning. "Okay you'll meet her...but you're still gonna come to Carl's party right?"

Michonne rolled her eyes but smiled a bit, "I told him I would Rocky so I will."

Rick smiled and gently kissed her shoulder, "thank you."

"You know you're annoying right?"

Rick chuckled a bit, "Yeah I know."

 **A/N: Hope you guys liked this chapter! Shoutout to all yall that also call your sidewalks blocks. Thank you for the faves/follows/reviews. Have a good weekend the trailer season 7 comes out today so hopefully it isn't trash lol. Gonna respond to some reviews now! :)**

 **bandeapix: thanks! :)**

 **cuckoo91: thanks!**

 **guest 1: thanks! hope this chapter help answer those questions.**

 **courtgirl26: glad you are liking this version of carl. I agree with your comments on mike haha**

 **alexis: thanks for liking the carl and Michonne relationship! Hope this chapter helps explain your questions about rick a little more. More Andre stuff will be revealed soon!**

 **Lavender73: I agree carl will help a lot without even knowing it!**

 **Flacagonzales: thanks!**

 **Joleen: thanks! next chapter will have more interaction with people in the town and friends.**

 **Firefly-class: thanks for enjoying! :)**

 **Thomi no nose: thanks for enjoying the story!**

 **Guest 2: lol less sighing in the story just for you!**

 **gdyoung59: mike is a douche but he isn't that big of a douche hahaha so I hope this chapter lessen those worries! Thanks for liking this version of carl :)**

 **AmazingGrimes: thanks!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

 **A week before Carl's birthday party**

"Are you sure you still wanna do this?" Rick asked Michonne. They were about to leave to meet Lori at their local diner. Rick had called her earlier to arrange this meeting and she sounded less than enthused asking him in a flat tone if " _this was the same woman I had to talk on the phone with?"_ As if he had purposely made sure to make sure that Michonne would pick up the phone that day that now felt like so long ago. Even though he understood the reasoning between both women meeting he couldn't help but dread their conversation.

"Yes Rocky we are still going to do this. You have asked me about a million times if I still wanted to do this and every time my answer has been yes." Michonne responded as she glanced at herself in the mirror one last time. She then turned to Rick, "I'm sure it won't be too bad."

Rick groaned slightly, "I'm gonna have to disagree with you there boss."

Michonne pursed her lips and rolled her eyes over his exaggerating. "Come on we're gonna be late." She said as she began to walk to the door.

"You sure you still-"

"Yes Rocky." She interrupted as they left her home.

0000000000000

Michonne and Rick entered the diner, there seemed to be many people inside as it was the lunch rush but there was one person with their back to them with long brown hair that was alone and must have been Lori. "Is that her?" Michonne asked once she spotted the woman.

Rick glanced over and nodded slightly, "yup."

Michonne nodded, "alright come on Rocky let's get this over with." She said as she began walking over to woman with Rick reluctantly following behind. "You must be Lori. I'm Michonne." She said once in front of her, a small smile on her face.

Lori turned to her, a tight smile on her face, "Finally putting a face to the voice." She glanced behind Michonne at Rick who was seemingly trying to force himself to be invisible, and failing. "Hello Rick."

"Lori." He simply said in response as they both slipped into the booth, sitting across from Lori.

There was an awkward silence between them before Lori broke it. "So! You two are dating? For how long now?" She asked, her eyes glancing at both of them.

"Almost 3 months I think." Michonne responded.

"Oh? And you're already meeting my son?" Lori said her voice condescending as she wore a faux smile.

Rick let out a small groan and pinched the bridge of his nose but remained silent.

"Well, actually we dated before. For 2 years, 10 years ago. We've known each other since we were Carl's age." Michonne said, her voice remained calm and unaffected.

"Really?" Lori said, a bit of genuine shock in her voice, not realizing that they had known each other before and for that many years. "I don't remember you mentioning her before Rick…" She said her eyes sliding over to him.

Rick outwardly groaned, "I guess I just didn't have the right time to bring it up…" He mumbled. The truth being that in 10 years Rick hadn't spoken about Michonne but he had constantly thought about her.

Michonne glanced over at Rick and back to Lori. "Maybe he just didn't want to be disrespectful to your marriage."

Lori shrugged slightly, "maybe." Pause. "So you two must be serious. Meeting Carl. Me."

"I…" Michonne paused for a moment and shared a look with Rick. It didn't cross her mind that they were this serious couple nor was it her intention when she accidentally met Carl and insisted on meeting Lori. But now it had dawned on her that they had fell into this "serious" relationship. "...guess so." She said finishing her sentence.

Lori looked from Michonne and Rick, noticing the pause and shared glances. "If you two aren't serious about this then maybe you shouldn't be spending time with Carl then, hm?" She asked with a tight smile.

"We are." Rick said, making sure to look directly at Lori. His voice was unwavering and sure of himself, there was a slight annoyance behind the questioning of their relationship.

"Rocky…" Michonne said softly, noticing the annoyance. She lightly squeezed a few of his fingers under the table and gave him a small smile.

Rick smiled a bit, his cheeks flushing lightly at her simple yet affectionate touch. He squeezed her hand back resisting the urge to kiss her in front of his ex-wife.

Lori took in their subtle exchange, their silence seemed comfortable and normal versus the awkward silences and pauses that were throughout this conversation. "Did you just call him Rocky?" She asked after a moment. "Like...Rocky Balboa?" She let out a dry chuckle. "That's cute. Cause he fights right? Cute." Her tone leading towards bitter despite trying to not let that side of her show.

Michonne looked over at the woman for a moment, her eyes lacked anger but instead held confusion. For a woman who left her husband for another man she couldn't quite understand why she was the angry one. "Yes." She finally said.

There was another awkward moment as they all fell into silence again. "So how much time exactly have you spent with Carl?" Lori asked.

Rick groaned again and ran his hand over his face. "Lori."

"What Rick? I am not allowed to know who my son is hanging out with." Lori asked, her bitterness rising more.

"Oh my god." Rick mumbled as he looked all around the diner without focusing on Lori.

"He spent about 3 nights at my home a few days ago. Rick was there. And before that I spent a few days at Rick's house where Carl was also there." Michonne said in a matter of fact tone. She could sense herself becoming aggravated with Lori when she seemed to take out her anger on Rick but she managed to outwardly appear calm.

"Really?" Lori's eyes were focused on Rick as she spoke. "How often is that going to become….a thing?"

Michonne shrugged a bit, even though she could tell Lori was no longer focusing on her. "If he wants to sleep over then he can. I'm just a few houses down."

Lori glanced over at Michonne and gave her a tight and condescending smile. "Have you ever had a child Michonne? They're not easy to raise you know."

As soon as the word child came out of Lori's mouth Rick's head shoot up to direct his eyes to Michonne. He saw her eyes widen for a moment and then saw a look of anger written across her face. He couldn't tell if Lori noticed but he did. "Michonne…" He said in a similar way that she did for him a few moments ago.

"I've never been married either but I know you shouldn't cheat on your husband." Michonne said her volume of her voice remained the same but the calmness that was once there was gone.

"Michonne…" Rick said again.

"Excuse me?" Lori asked, she was surprised at this now seemingly out of nowhere "attack."

"Should I repeat myself?" Michonne asked. "I don't know what it's like to have an 8 year old son but I do know if I'm in a marriage I'm not going to cheat on my husband. I loved Rick. Even when I was gone I loved him. But did you?"

Rick darted his eye from Michonne to Lori and then back again his mouth slightly open. While he was sure this conversation wasn't going to end well he didn't expect it to take this turn. And Lori, usually one to always make sure she had the last word was silent.

"Get up Rick." Michonne said breaking the silence as Rick swiftly slipped out of the booth. She silently followed and left before Lori could say something.

"Hey," Rick started once they exited and were walking towards the car. "Are you okay?"

Michonne turned to him they silently exchanged looks before she spoke. "I understand I'm gonna have to see her again Rick for things that involve Carl I get that. She is his mother. But tell her to not bring up the subject of me being a mother again, okay? I'm not…" She paused for a moment, taking a few breaths to calm herself, "I'm not going to allow that."

Rick nodded, "yeah I will. I promise. I'm sorry."

Michonne sighed and turned back to the car as she began walking again, "it's not your fault Rick."

"Hey." Rick said again as he caught up to her. He gently grabbed her arm and pulled her to him so they were facing each other.

"Rick I'm not in the mood for this right now…" She said with a small sigh.

Rick looked her over for a moment, it had been what felt like a long time since he last wore his concern for her on his face. He took a step back from her and nodded. "Okay, you wanna go home?"

"Yeah, you can drive." She said handing him her keys. Rick unlocked the car and they both entered. He looked over one more time before driving off, all while wearing his look of concern.

000000000000000

 **One week later - Carl's Birthday Party**

It was the day of Carl's birthday and he as well as many of his school friends were running around Rick's backyard that was decorated with a superhero theme. Balloons were spread around the backyard in the shapes of various superheroes and several large number 8's. There were two tables both with decorations, one held gifts and the other was empty as it was where the cake would eventually be. Many of his friends were already there as well as Lori. However Michonne wasn't. Since meeting Lori a few days earlier she was unsure if she wanted to possibly go through a similar event with her again. The questioning of her being a mother and if she could be a good motherly figure to Carl bothered her more than she liked.

She looked at the time noting that she was now a little over 2 hours late. She stood in her entranceway already dressed with Carl's gifts in her hand and house keys in the other. With a slight sigh she left her house, deciding that despite Lori's presence she had told Carl she would be there. So she would be.

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She entered the party and took in the decorations surrounding the party wondering if Rick had done this himself. There were many children running around, a few barely missing her as they ran around her, and adults talking and laughing together. She could see Lori in the background talking to someone but peering over at her and Michonne made an effort to ignore the glances. She felt a bump from behind and turned.

"Michonne!" Carl said excitedly wrapping his small arms around her for a hug.

She smiled and gently patted his head, "hi Carl, I hope you don't mind that I'm late."

Carl pulled away and shook his head, "its okay! You were at work right?"

Michonne paused for a moment realizing that Rick must have told him this as a reason to why she wasn't there and she immediately felt a pang of guilt. "Uh yeah, but I was able to get out early."

Carl nodded happily and then took notice of the large gift bag she was holding. "Is that for me?" He asked excitedly attempting to look inside.

Michonne chuckled a bit and held the bag above his head so he couldn't take a peek. "It is but you aren't gonna open it now, you have to eat cake first."

Carl pouted slightly, "okay."

Michonne chuckled a bit, "trust me it'll be worth the wait. Now where is your dad?"

"Umm….I think he went in the kitchen with Uncle Daryl and Uncle Glenn!" Carl said confidently with a nod.

Michonne chuckled again, "okay I'm gonna go talk to him for a bit. Go have fun, okay? You'll get to open this later." She said shaking the bag at him.

Carl nodded happily and ran back to his friends.

000000000000000000000

 **A few moments earlier**

Rick, Daryl and Glenn were all inside of the kitchen, retreating from the heat as they drank their beers and watching the party from the window above the sink. The men had talked about many topics, Glenn's pizza place and how it was doing well, Daryl was warning Glenn of the eventual problems that will come up at as a parent and how best to deal with it, including a hormonal wife. And now they were on Rick and the subject of Michonne had come up.

"So, are you together or what?" Daryl asked as he sipped his beer.

"Yeah we are…." Rick answered, trying to think of an excuse to leave the conversation. Michonne wasn't here and they hadn't talked in a few days. She was distant again and it made him a bit uncomfortable to talk about her when they haven't talked to each other.

"But at the party…" Glenn started.

"It was complicated." Rick simply responded.

Daryl and Glenn shared confused glances. "So where she at then?" Daryl asked.

Rick sighed, "It's complicated." He said again.

There was a pause between them as the men sipped their beers before Daryl spoke again. "You know they use to date in high school?" He asked Glenn.

"What?! No I didn't!" Glenn let out a light chuckle. "What were they like in high school? Still complicated?" He asked with a slight smirk.

Rick let out a small groan but Daryl continued with sly smile. "Nahhh, they were attached at the hip those two."

"Alright…." Rick started.

"They even won cutest couple!" Daryl continued on.

Glenn let out a laugh, the thought of his friend who was rough and hardened now being in a cute lovey relationship made him laugh. Even though he knew Rick when he was with Lori they were never an outwardly affectionate couple. "Really? Tell me more please!"

"Well…." Daryl started but was cut off by a light knock on the back door of the kitchen and then its opening.

"Hi, Rocky." Michonne said with a soft small smile, "Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

As soon as Rick saw Michonne his whole demeanor changed. He seemed to stand up straighter, there was a lightness in his eyes, and a smile on his face. He stared at her but remained silent as if it was his first time seeing her all over again.

Daryl and Glenn noticed the change and then exchanged glances again. "Uh, Daryl don't we have that thing we gotta do….outside?" Glenn asked.

"Yup we do! See y'all out there!" Daryl said as him and Glenn quickly left.

"Rocky, stop staring you scared your friends away." Michonne said with a smile as she walked over to him.

"I wasn't sure if you were coming." Rick said as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I'm sorry." Michonne said gently, wrapping an arm around his neck.

"What happened?"

Michonne let out a small sigh, pulling away slightly, "Do you think I would be good for Carl? Like...motherly. And I know he likes me now but I mean in the long run. Like when I have to be the bad guy cause you're not around? I think I was a good mother to my kid but...its lot easier when they are still a baby."

Rick smiled softly and gently kissed the top of her forehead. "Yes, you will be. He needs someone like you. It's hard as parents to understand our kids but you get him. I can tell he already loves you. They don't get easier but you're someone who he wants to stick around, trust me."

Michonne smiled at his kiss and nodded, "thanks Rocky."

Rick smiled and leaned in giving her a deep kiss on the mouth. He gripped her tightly as they kissed, him missing her obvious as he slipped a tongue in her mouth.

Michonne smiled as they kissed and pulled away after a few moments. "You have guests Rocky."

Rick glanced at the window and then back at her, "so?" He said with a smirk.

Michonne chuckled a bit and began leading him towards the back door. "I'm pretty sure people will notice your missing."

Rick let out a short sigh, "I guess so…" And Michonne chuckled again.

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As the party continued Rick and Michonne stayed by each other. He introduced her to some of his friends and she had pleasant conversations with Rick's family members that she hadn't seen in years. She was about to go inside for a brief moment to get more drinks when Sasha walked up to her.

"Michonne, I wasn't sure if you were gonna come today." Sasha said and it was clear by her half smile and the look in her eyes that she didn't intend to have a brief conversation.

Michonne smiled a bit and nodded, "yeah, me neither but I'm glad I came." While she still wasn't sure if she could handle another friendship at this time she felt lighter than when she first saw Sasha a few weeks ago. Not willing to be completely open but no longer wanting to be completely closed off to everyone.

"Um, can we talk? Maybe somewhere that's a little more private?" Sasha asked her, unsure of the response she was about to get.

Michonne thought for a moment and then finally nodded as she walked towards the house with Sasha following. She glanced back and could see Rick squinting over her and she gave him a small smile to ensure him that she will be okay. They entered his home and sat down at the kitchen table.

There was a pause and then Sasha began, "are you okay?"

Michonne thought for a moment. She wasn't ready to talk about the death of her child with anyone but Rick but she didn't want to pretend like everything was fine with her former best friend. "I'm doing better than when I last saw you."

Sasha nodded, "I can tell. You don't have to tell me what happened but something did happen in New York right?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Is Rick helping you work through it?"

"Yes."

Sasha smiled a bit, "you guys are good together. He missed you. I missed you. But he missed you like…" She paused thinking of how Rick was once Michonne left. "It was painful for him, you know? In all types of ways."

Michonne nodded, "yeah I'm gone for a week and you think I left for 10 years again." She said with a small smile.

Sasha chuckled a bit, "I just think he's scared that you'll leave again. He looks at you like…."

"...like a creep?" Michonne said with a smirk.

Sasha chuckled again, "like you're the only one that matters. Like you can walk on water but he is still trying to figure out how."

"I think he'll like your explanation more than mine." Michonne said with a smile, her first full smile with Sasha.

Sasha smiled back, "I'm glad he's helping you. But you have definitely helped him if you couldn't tell. He was angry. And once he had to take this break from the force he seemed to get further away from everyone. I'm sure if you weren't here this party wouldn't be happening."

Michonne smiled a bit, glad others can see the change in Rick that she has. "When I first saw him again he was beating some guy up in front of the diner. If you ever hear me call him Rocky that's why."

Sash wore a sudden expression of understanding. "Daryl said you called him Rocky but I swore he just heard you wrong."

Both of the women shared a laugh and then a comfortable silence with small smiles. Sasha stretched her hand across the table, placing it over Michonne's. "I'm glad you're back and feeling better." She said with a soft smile.

"Me too." Michonne responded with a smile. The two women got up and shared a tight hug.

"Okay, now let's get back before Rick thinks I've kidnapped you." Sasha said with a smirk.

Michonne chuckled and they both grabbed drinks to take outside as they left the kitchen.

0000000000000

Carl stood happily between his mother and father with the rest of the party goers facing them as they sang happy birthday. He took in a large gulp of air and blew out the candles as everyone cheered. "Can I open gifts now?" Carl asked excitedly.

Rick chuckled and nodded, "yes you can open gifts now."

"Yay!" Carl said excitedly as he went over to the side of the long table that held gifts. He scanned each wrapped gift and gift bag before finally stopping on the gift Michonne had brought him. He opened the bag pulling out the decorative tissue paper as Michonne looked on a few feet away. He gasped excitedly as he saw several older comics that were harder to find, wrapped together with a bow. Still in perfect condition. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Carl said nearly jumping on her after running to her and wrapping his arms around her for a hug.

Michonne laughed lightly. "So you like your gift then?"

"I love it!" Carl said happily, still hugging her.

"I think your gift will be the favorite of the night." Rick said as he walked over to them. "Did you say thank you Carl?"

"I think he gave me enough thank you's to last a while." Michonne responded with a smile.

"I'm gonna go open more presents dad! "Carl said as he finally let go of his hug on Michonne and ran back to the table.

0000000000000000

The party had dwindled down with most people already leaving, including Lori leaving just a few minutes earlier, and the rest of the guests now mingling inside. Rick and Michonne were tucked away in a corner with Michonne leaning against a wall and Rick leaning over here.

"You plan on staying the night?" Rick asked her.

Michonne rolled her eyes playfully, "you would like that wouldn't you?"

Rick grinned and leaned in closed to her so his lips were lingering above hers. "Is that a yes?"

Michonne chuckled and pushed him lightly away, "your being sappy Rocky."

Rick was about to respond before he was cut off by a few quick knocks. "Sooo you're staying the night." Rick concluded with a grin as he walked away from her with Michonne shaking her head at him.

As Rick opened the door his eyes scanned for a moment. Initially there was no one on his porch and for a brief moment he wondered if it was prank until his eyes met him. Shane. Rick closed the door behind him but remained on his porch. His eyes harden and his began to tap his thumb and index finger together.

"Uh hey man look I ain't trying to crash the party it's just…" Shane sighed as he spoke his eyes jumping everywhere but Rick, the tension obvious. "I gotta get to work, had to take a cab over here and Lori ain't picking up her phone so I thought she may still be over here."

Rick remained silent as he squinted at the man. It has now been a little over 2 years since the last time he saw his former best friend. Their last meeting ended with them both bruised after a fight that seemed to go on forever. He heard a door open and close behind him but his eyes held on Shane.

"Rick?" Michonne said, it had been a few minutes since he left so she decided to check on him and now she saw why. While she didn't know who this other man was it was obvious that it wasn't just someone he had gotten into a simple argument with.

"Rick." Michonne said again, reaching out to grab his hand. He flinched slightly but turned to her when he realized it was her reaching out to him. "Hey." She said softly, giving him a small smile. "Let's go inside, okay? Come on."

Rick glanced from her to Shane and then back. He nodded a bit and he followed her as she led him back in the house.

"Sasha, we're gonna be right back. Um...there's a guy outside. I think you all know him." Michonne said to Sasha in passing, as she led Rick into the house. She brought him upstairs and into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. Once sat on the bed she turned to him, "who was he?"

Rick sighed he pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment and then finally looked up at her. "Shane. The other reason why I'm not with Lori anymore. Someone who was my best friend at some point."

Michonne nodded understandingly, "What did he want?"

"Wanted to know if Lori had left yet cause he had to go to work…" He said, as he spoke his eyes drifted around the room.

They were silent as Michonne watched him. She cupped his face softly to direct his eyes back to her. "You did good Rick."

"I don't know…"

"You did. You didn't fight him. You don't have to. And you knew that so you did good." She smiled softly and gave him a light kiss on the lips. "You wanna stay up here for a little longer?"

Rick flushed lightly and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "Yeah."

"Okay."

They stayed upstairs for 10 more minutes before Rick pulled away. "Guess we should go back down."

"You're good?" Michonne asked.

Rick nodded as he got up and he pulled her close to him. He gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "Thank you."

Michonne smiled and shrugged a bit, "I just don't want to spend my time taking care of you after a fight Rocky."

Rick chuckled, "if you say so."

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Everyone had left for the night and house was now quiet as Carl had finally gone to sleep, his sugar high and excitement at all of his new gifts finally leaving. Shane had also left soon after coming to Rick's house, learning that Lori had in fact left from Daryl. "If you two manage to wake up early tomorrow please don't wake me up." Rick said as he finally slipped into bed with Michonne who was doing her nightly reading.

Michonne laughed lightly, "I'll make sure to be extra loud when I make breakfast."

"You're evil." Rick said as he wrapped an arm around her waist and nuzzled his head in the crook of her neck giving her light kisses.

Michonne laughed again as she put her book down. "Rocky."

"Hm?" Rick said as he continued to kiss her neck.

"You know I'm proud of you for today right? You threw a great party for your son. You reconnected with your friends. You could've fought Shane today and I don't think anyone would have blamed you but you didn't. So I'm proud of you." She said with a soft smile as Rick was now looking up at her.

"That was pretty sappy of you boss." Rick said with a grin after a few minutes.

"Oh shut up." Michonne said with a small smile as she pushed him away.

Rick laughed and put his arm around her waist again. There was a silence as Rick stared at her for a few minutes with a soft smile on his face. "I love you." He finally said.

"Rocky…" Michonne said quietly.

"I love you." Rick continued. "I told you I loved you a few days after we made 7 months. You remember that? But I loved you before that. I still love you. You left and…I never stopped being in love with you."

"Rocky…" Michonne repeated again.

"You don't have to say it back right now Michonne. But I want you to know that I love you."

"Rick."

"Michonne I-"

His words were cut off with Michonne's hand now covering his mouth as she wore a small smile. "You're annoying." She paused and her smile grew, "but I love you too. You know that. Why would I bother coming back here if I didn't think you were still here?"

Rick grinned underneath her hand and he kissed her deeply, slipping his tongue into her mouth. There was happiness in his eyes and he held the same look that he wore 11 years ago when he first told he loved her and asked her if she felt the same and she responded with " _of course I love you_. _Isn't it obvious?"_ He pulled away slightly to start leading kisses down her jaw. "You came back for me?" Rick asked in between kisses.

"Leave me alone." Michonne responded with a small smile.

Rick laughed gently as he continued to kiss her, going down to her neck. "You did."

"You're annoying."

"You love me." He happily responded.

"You're gonna hold on to that one aren't you?" Michonne asked with a smirk as he was now lightly kissing her stomach.

"Yup. You love me." Rick said with a grin.

"Isn't it obvious?" Michonne asked with a soft smile.

 **A/N: Alright first of all I want to apologize cause I wanted this chapter to go up last week! I got called into jury duty and wasn't expecting to get a case and I did. So as I student who was bumming her life away this summer and then being forced to wake up at 7 I was coming home to sleep not to write haha. I am glad this is finally up for you guys and hope you enjoyed :). As always thank you for the faves/follows/reviews they truly mean a lot to me. Also in 2 weeks from now I will be on vacation till the end of August and I'm still not sure if I will bring my computer with me. So if there are no updates in that time that is why but I will be writing! Right after that classes start so updates may not be every week but trust me this work will not be forgotten and I have a clear ending in mine. Okay long authors note hahha talk to y'all in the next update :)**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Rick was sitting in the office of the new sheriff he worked under since going on leave. He had been on leave for 4 months and now he felt ready to come back to work. He wasn't perfect and he understood that he would probably wouldn't be starting off in the field right away and he was sure he wouldn't be a sheriff right away either but he would even take office work. After talking to Michonne about it she had motivated him to go meet with his sheriff and ask if he could return. So here he was currently waiting for his boss to enter.

"Grimes." The sheriff said as he entered. Rick rose and the two men shook hands. "So, what is it that you had to talk me about?" He asked as both of them sat down, facing each other from across the desk.

"Well Sheriff Brady I wanted to ask you if I could return to the force." Rick said.

"...And why should you return to the force Grimes?"

"Well uh...my temper is now more under control then before."

"Mhm…" The sheriff nodded as Rick spoke, listening intently.

"And uh...I think I'm ready to finally change this reputation I created for myself…"

"Mhm…"

"And I understand that I would have to be doing desk work for a while and that's fine just as long as I'm working again...I really would like to get back onto the force sir." Rick said in conclusion.

There was silence as his sheriff took in this information. "You want to get back to work, Grimes?" The sheriff asked.

"Yes sir."

"And you're willing to do desk work for a while?"

"Yes sir."

"When was the last time you got into an altercation?"

"Uh, maybe a month or two ago sir."

"Why?" Asked the sheriff.

"Excuse me sir?" Rick asked, squinting over at his sheriff and shifting in his seat a bit.

"Why did you get into a fight? Was it because someone looked at you the wrong way or was it a legitimate reason?"

Rick paused for a moment. "The ex of the woman I'm seeing came over to her home. He made her upset so we got into a fight." Rick swallowed after responding, unsure of what his sheriff would think of his answer.

The sheriff nodded thoughtfully, "And this woman is important to you?"

Rick nodded, "She is sir. The reason I'm here in fact."

The sheriff nodded and thought for a few more moments before standing up. "Welcome back to the force Grimes." He said with a smile, reaching his hand across the table.

Rick smiled widely and nodded, shaking his hand. "Thank you sir."

"Thank you Grimes. You were good on the force we've missed you. It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back sir." Rick responded with a smile.

00000000000000000

 **Meanwhile at Michonne's home**

Since Rick was meeting with his sheriff Michonne had the responsibility of watching Carl once he came home from school. She had picked him up from the bus stop and now they were in her home, just finishing up some of his homework. "When will dad be home?" Carl asked as he closed his notebook.

"What? Am I not fun enough?" Michonne asked pretending to be upset, putting a hand to her chest and her mouth falling open.

Carl laughed, "You are! But he also said he would be bringing pizza home."

Michonne chuckled a bit and nodded, "You're right, pizza is pretty good. Maybe 15 more minutes."

Carl nodded, swinging his legs in silence for a moment. "Do you have pictures of my dad when he was young?"

"You wanna see him in his full dorkiness?" Michonne asked with a smile.

"Yes!" Carl responded excitedly.

Michonne chuckled at his excitement and nodded, "Okay, give me 2 minutes I'll be right back." She got up and went up her stairs and after a few minutes she came back down with a medium sized box. "Alright, so are you sure you're ready for this?" Michonne asked him seriously as if there were great secrets held in this box. Carl nodded happily as Michonne opened the box. She grabbed a yearbook that was on top and flipped opened the pages. "So, this is your dad in high school." Michonne said pointing to a black and white yearbook photo of Rick, he had a little bit of stubble, and his curls seemed to lay perfect, and he was a wearing a suit with a bow tie.

"Wow, he looks old now!" Carl said as he closely examined the picture.

Michonne laughed, "Yeah he's not as young as he used to be. Want to see some more?"

"Yes!" Carl said as he finished examining the picture.

Michonne chuckled and turned a few pages in the yearbook, stopping on the various sports team. She scanned the photos until she got to the baseball team and she pointed out Rick again. "You're dad tell you he did baseball in high school?"

Carl nodded happily, "Yup!"

"He was pretty good, you know. I think he won most valuable player this year."

"Did you ever see him play?"

"Yeah, I tried to make it as many times as I could. He always won when I was there." Michonne said with a smile.

"You were good luck!" Carl said with a gasp as if Michonne was now magical.

Michonne laughed and nodded, "Your dad use to say the same thing."

"When I start playing baseball can you come to my games too?" Carl asked.

"Of course I will." Michonne said with a smile.

There was a knock on the door and Carl jumped up to answer it, now comfortable in doing so in Michonne's home. He swung open the door and smiled when he saw Rick holding a box of pizza in his hands. "Dad! Michonne, dad is here! And he brought pizza!" He said excitedly.

Rick chuckled as he entered the home, "Do you only care about the pizza, Carl?"

"Yes!" He said, happily as he took the pizza box from his dad and brought it into the kitchen.

Rick laughed lightly and smiled when he saw Michonne sitting on the couch. "Hey boss."

"Rocky." Michonne said with a smile.

Rick walked over to and leaned down, giving her several light kisses on the lips. "Guess what?" He asked her.

"You got your job back?"

"I got my job back." Rick said with a wide smile.

Michonne smiled widely and gave him a few more gentle kisses on the lips. "Good, I was getting tired of seeing you every day."

"Um can you guys pleaseeeeee stop kissing so we can eat pizza?" Carl said impatiently.

Rick chuckled and nodded and turned to Carl, "I'll be right there son." He turned back to Michonne, "You want some food?"

Michonne shook her head, "No, I'm okay not much of an appetite today."

"What's wrong?" Rick asked his concern starting to show again.

"Nothing."

"Michonne."

"Rocky, I'm fine. I felt a little sick this morning but it's passed I just don't want to eat anything." She assured him with a smile.

Rick squinted at her but nodded, "You sure?"

"Daddddd! I think I'm dying of hunger!" Carl shouted over at the.

Michonne laughed at Carl, "Go feed your son. I'm okay." She said with a smile.

Rick nodded, "Alright, but I'm going to bring over some medicine."

"Rick."

"I will." Rick said with a nod as he finally left the living room and walked over to Carl in the kitchen.

00000000000000000000

 **A few hour later**

"I was showing Carl some pictures of you earlier…" Michonne said as Rick entered the bedroom, with a towel wrapped around him and his curls wet and sticking on his forehead as he had just gotten out of the shower.

"You saved pictures of me?" Rick asked with a raised eyebrow and a grin.

Michonne rolled her eyes, "It was from our yearbook Rocky, calm down."

Rick chuckled as he slipped on a pair of a sweatpants. He laid next to Michonne and wrapped an arm around her. "What pictures did you show him?"

"Your yearbook photo, the one with you and the baseball team…"

"No wonder he was talking _a lot_ about baseball today." Rick said with a realization.

Michonne chuckled a bit and nodded, "Yeah and he thinks I'm good luck so I have to go to these eventual baseball games."

Rick grinned widely, "You told him you were my good luck charm?"

"No, he came to that conclusion to himself. Like father, like son." She said with a smirk.

Rick chuckled and nodded, "he's a smart kid."

000000000000000000000000

 **11 years earlier**

"Wooooo!" Michonne screamed as she made her way to the baseball field along with what was practically the whole school. They had just finished their baseball season with a nearly perfect record and they had just won their last game, making them the champs of their district. Michonne pushed through the crowd scanning the faces of many players who all wore a deep burgundy and white uniforms, the same as their school colors.

As she scanned the crowd she felt familiar arms stop her and wrap themselves around her waist. "Looking for me?" Rick asked with a smile, giving her kisses on the neck.

Michonne smiled and turned so they were facing each other. "You were so good out there! Congratulations." She leaned in and kissed him lightly but as she went to pull away he kissed her deeper, gripping her close to him.

He finally pulled away with a grin. "Thank you for being my good luck charm."

Michonne laughed bashfully, a bit taken aback from his open affection, "Rick, you were the one who did all the work."

"Yeah but everyone knows you're the reason we win. Remember the one game you missed? We lost terribly. But only cause you weren't there." Rick said confidently as if it was fact.

Michonne chuckled at his sureness, "what do you want to do to celebrate your win?"

"I think you know…" Rick said with a wide grin as he leaned in and gave her soft kisses on the neck.

"Rick!" Michonne exclaimed, giggling lightly as he kissed her neck.

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 **Present**

Rick was now kissing her neck, with one arm wrapped around her waist.

"Leave me alone." Michonne said even though she wore a smile on her face.

"Never." Rick said with a grin as he began pulling on her shirt.

000000000000000000000

 **1 week later**

Rick had been at work now for a little over a week and he had enjoyed being back even if it was just desk duty for now. Now he was done with work for the week and he was on his way to see Michonne. Lori had Carl for the weekend so Rick was more than ready to spend a weekend alone with Michonne. She hadn't been feeling well these past few days and even if she insisted that she was fine he made sure to stop by and check on her every day.

He made it to her front door and unlocked it with her keys, since she had been home due to not feeling well these past few days Carl and him had been in her home. "Boss?" He called out as he entered her home. He heard a flush come from the upstairs bathroom and he made his way to her bedroom. "Boss?" He called again as he entered her room and then her bathroom

Michonne was sitting on her bathroom floor her knees up and back pressed against her wall. She was still in her pajamas and she looked tired and a bit pale. "Rocky." She said with a small smile.

Rick sighed and sat across from her, pressing the back of his hand to her forehead to test her temperature. "You look worse than when I left you. Did you take the medicine I bought you?"

"It doesn't matter if I take it Rocky cause nothing is going to stay down." Michonne said with a small sigh. She closed her eyes for a moment until she felt a lurch in her stomach and stuck her head above the toilet again. She stayed there for a few minutes before picking her head up again. "You know Rocky this isn't particularly cute." She said with a slight smirk.

Rick looked her over for a moment, "maybe it's time to visit a doctor?" He asked.

Michonne shook her head, "I don't need to go to a doctor Rocky."

"Michonne…" Rick began.

"Rick I don't need to go."

"This is the worst you've been so we're gonna go." Rick said as he began to get up.

"Rick, I don't need to go. I know what's wrong." Michonne said with a sigh.

"You became a doctor in New York?" Rick asked with a raised eyebrow.

Michonne rolled her eyes, "No Rocky I did not become a doctor in New York but I did have a kid in New York."

Rick squinted at her, "what do you mean?"

"I'm pregnant Rick. I've only felt this way when I was pregnant." Michonne said with a sigh.

"Did you...take a test?" Rick asked as he sat back down on the floor.

"No Rick but I know I'm pregnant."

"I assumed you were on the pill…"

"People can still get pregnant on the pill Rick. Besides I started taking some new ones and obviously they don't work."

Rick looked her over for a moment and moved closer to her so he was now holding her hand. "Michonne...do you want to have another baby?"

Michonne smiled slightly, "when I left New York I told myself I wasn't going to have any more kids. I was never planning on having any. And then you had to come around." She gave him a small smirk. "I want another kid Rick. I'm just scared." Michonne said honestly.

Rick gently kissed the top of her hand, "You're not gonna lose another kid."

"No one thinks they're gonna lose their kid until it happens Rick."

"Hey," Rick said softly. "You are not gonna lose another kid." He said, sounding absolutely sure of himself.

Michonne sighed a bit and gave him a small smile. They were silent for a couple minutes before she spoke again. "So I get to be a mom again?"

Rick smiled and nodded, kissing the back of her hand. "You get to be a mom again….Can we get a pregnancy test to confirm now?"

Michonne chuckled a bit, "We don't have to confirm what I already know."

"Trust me it'll make me a feel a lot better." Rick said with a smile.

Michonne chuckled again, "Fine, but I'm not leaving this bathroom so get going." She said, waving him off as he got up.

"Try not to puke until I get back." Rick said with a smirk.

"No promises."

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 **A few moments later**

"I told you so." Michonne said as she exited the bathroom. She was holding a pregnancy stick that had a small pink positive sign on it indicating that she was indeed pregnant.

Rick smiled widely, taking the stick from her. "You're pregnant."

"I'm pregnant." Michonne said with a soft smile.

"I always told you were going to have my kids…" Rick said with a grin.

Michonne laughed lightly, "You did."

They fell into a silence again as Rick held her hand and kissed the back of it. "You're gonna be okay?"

"I'm gonna be okay." She assured him.

"And you'll tell me if you aren't?

"I will." Michonne said with a gentle smile. After a pause she continued, "I'm gonna show you something."

Rick watched her as she got up and moved towards her closet. She moved some clothes out of her way before bringing out a box that was on the bottom of it. She moved the box over to the bed so it was sitting in front of them and she sat back down on the bed as she opened it.

"Okay, so you may think this is kind of gross but I kept my pregnancy stick with my first pregnancy…" She said with a small smile as she pulled out a small ziploc bag that held a pregnancy stick with a similar pink plus sign on it that was now faded. She flipped the back it over, where there was writing. "So, this is the date that I found out I was pregnant. And then his name. And then the date I gave birth." She glanced over at him with a small smile and he was watching her intently. "And um…" She said as she dug through the box again before taking out an ultrasound. "This is his first ultrasound. And…" She dug through the box again before taking out a picture of a newborn Andre laying on her chest and her smilingly down at him. "He was about….8 hours old here." She said with a soft smile a bit of sadness in her eyes.

Rick took the picture from her and looked it for several minutes, "He looked like you." He finally said.

Michonne smiled a bit and nodded, "He did."

Rick turned her head to him, giving her a gentle kiss on the lips. "Thank you. You didn't have to do that." He said quietly.

Michonne smiled tenderly, "We're having a baby. I think you should know more about my kid."

Rick smiled and gently kissed her again. "I love you."

Michonne smiled, "I love you too Rocky."

After a lull Rick spoke, "When should we tell Carl?"

"Let's wait till I'm past three months." Michonne responded. She glanced over at him and then around the room, "I guess once we tell him you two should move in." She said casually with a small smile on her face.

Rick eyes widen a bit and his mouth fell slightly open, "You want us to move in with you?"

"Well obviously Rocky what am I supposed to do, have a baby with you a few houses down? I have enough room here for Carl and another kid so move in with me." She looked over at him and smiled.

Rick smiled widely and kissed her again but deeper this time, "We'll move in with you."

Michonne smiled, "Don't you have a child you need to discuss this with first?"

"I'm pretty sure he wanted to move in his first night here." Rick said with a smile.

Michonne chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, I think you're right."

They held a moment of silence. "I love you." Rick said after a moment.

"You think cause I'm pregnant this gives you the right to be sappy Rocky?" Michonne said with a smirk.

"Yeah it does." Rick said with a smile.

Michonne chuckled, "You're annoying."

000000000000000000

 **A few weeks later**

After what felt like to Rick, an unnecessary amount of time, Michonne had finally picked a doctor she had felt would be the best option for her and her baby. Now at what was about 8 weeks, she was at her appointment with him. She was in an average size doctor's room with her lower half covered and her feet in stirrups. Her barely noticeable bump looked more like she had some slight bloating rather than something growing inside of her. There was a light knock before a female doctor peeked her head in, "are we all ready?" She asked, with a smile that came across as genuine and Michonne was instantly happy with her choice.

"We're ready." Michonne answered with a small smile as the doctor entered the room.

"Nice to meet the both of you I'm Cloyd but please call me Denise." She said as she shook both of their hands.

"Rick." "Michonne." They both said, introducing themselves.

Dr. Denise smiled and nodded, "okay, let's get this show on the road shall we? Now Michonne I know the nurse already went over a few things but I'm gonna ask you some more questions okay?" She asked, happily as she sat on a nearby office chair that was in front of a computer.

Michonne nodded, "okay." She felt Rick's hand hold hers and she looked up giving him a reassuring smile.

"Alright, so it looks like you should be about 8 weeks. Any ideas of date of conceivement?" Dr. Denise asked.

"Uh…" Michonne thought for a moment and looked up at Rick, wordlessly asking him if he had an idea but he shook his head no. "I'm not exactly sure…" Michonne responded.

smiled and nodded, "that's perfectly fine if isn't a planned pregnancy most couples aren't marking the days. Any health conditions that should be known?"

"No." They both responded at the same time.

Dr. Denise looked up from her computer and smiled widely at them. "You know, it happens at every appointment but always find it so cute when couples say the same things at the same time. Is it just me? I think it's just me. Okay, anyway," she said turning back to the computer, "any children?"

"Um Rick has one child. Not from me. And I was pregnant before…" Michonne started, she was looking at Denise but she could feel Rick watching her as she spoke.

"And how long ago were you pregnant?" The doctor asked.

"It's gonna be 8 months in...4 days." Michonne responded.

"Any problems with the munchkin today?" Denise asked as she typed on the computer.

Michonne paused for a moment. She was aware that she would have to tell this doctor about her past pregnancy but it of course didn't make the process any easier. "Um, he died. At 3 months and 8 days so…." Her words trailing off.

Dr. Denise quickly turned to her, her face soft and sympathetic. "I'm sorry for your loss. I apologize but I have to ask how."

Michonne nodded a bit, understanding. "SIDS."

Dr. Denise nodded, "thank you. Once again, I'm sorry for your loss. We're gonna make sure the current munchkin sticks around." She said with a soft smile as she then turned back around to her computer to type.

After several more questions rolled her chair over to them so she was sitting in the middle of Michonne's legs. "Okay, so just in case you forgot we are going to be doing a transvaginal ultrasound, alright? The munchkin is still a tiny thing so don't worry if we can't find it right away." She said with a smile as she began to prepare for the ultrasound. "Ready momma?" She asked Michonne and she nodded as both Rick and her watched the screen.

There was silence for a moment as Denise located the baby and then a smile broke on her face. "Alright, so you see that figure relaxing in there? Kinda looks like an oversized oval? That's your munchkin. They are about a size of a cranberry bean right now." She said with a smile.

"Wow." Rick said in a quiet voice, even though he had a child before it was still amazing for him to see his child still in the womb. He looked down at Michonne who was silent and focused on the image.

"Nice heartbeat, good job momma." Denise said with a smile as she continued looking at the baby. "So, its looks like you are about 8 weeks and 4 days so we're looking at a December baby. Do you guys want a copy of the ultrasound?"

"Yes, please." Rick said answering for them as Michonne was still silent.

Denise nodded and smiled. "Okay, so you'll get a copy of that when you leave." Getting up as she spoke as the appointment was nearly over. "Alright, when you go to the front make sure you make an appointment for next month. Start on your prenatal vitamins and stay away from the foods and drinks we discussed earlier. It was great meeting you two and the munchkin. We're almost past the first trimester so dad," she said to Rick, "make sure her stress is down. We want a relaxed momma." She smiled again, "okay, I'll see you guys next month." She said as she then left the room.

They were silent for a moment after she left before Rick spoke, "you okay boss?"

Michonne smiled lightly and nodded, she turned to him and her eyes were beginning to glisten. "We're having a baby."

Rick smiled and leaned down, kissing her. "We are."

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Michonne came out of the bathroom with a sigh. "The first trimester is terrible why did you have to go knock me up?" She asked with a slight smile. They were now home and Rick was sitting on her bed, with the ultrasound in his hands seemingly unable to take his eyes off it since they left the doctor's office.

"I don't remember you complaining about the process…" Rick said glancing up at her with a grin.

Michonne rolled her eyes and sat down next to him, taking the ultrasound from him and looking at it. "You're annoying." Michonne said her lips curled into a light smile. "You think Carl will be happy to be an older sibling?"

Rick nodded as he placed a hand on her stomach, gently stroking it with her thumb. "Yeah, he used to ask me if he was going to have another sibling. I think then he just wanted someone to share his love of comics with," he chuckled a bit, "he'll be happy."

Michonne smiled and nodded, "Good." She reached over placing the ultrasound on her nightstand so it was standing up against her lamp. "We gotta get a frame for this…"

"We do." Rick said softly, still stroking her stomach.

They fell into a lull before Rick turned her head to him and gently kissed her. "You were a great mother and now you get to do it again." He said, with a soft smile.

Michonne smiled a bit, "I'm still scared Rocky." She admitted quietly.

"I know, but I'm gonna be here for you. We're gonna be okay. This baby is going to be okay."

Michonne leaned in and kissed him, gently cupping his face as she did so. "I love you Rick."

Rick flushed slightly and smiled, "I love you too Michonne." He kissed her again, deeper this time. They kissed for several minutes before Rick moved himself so he was on top of her. He felt her hands begin to play in his hair as he slipped his hand under her shirt and began playing with her breasts. His other hand began making it way down to the pajama shorts she was wearing, slipping it down her shorts.

Rick smiled to himself when he heard a small moan come out of Michonne as he began to play with her bundle of nerves. He pulled away for a moment to pull off her shirt and then took her breast in his mouth.

"Rick…." Michonne moaned quietly as he continued to rub her as she quickly became more and more wet.

He smirked to himself and pulled away from her to pull down her shorts and underwear. He sucked on her neck a few times before slipping himself inside of her. He thrusted into her slowly and rhythmically as he felt her legs wrap around his waist and her arms go around his back, lightly scratching him.

"Faster…" Michonne moaned into his ear cause Rick to jump inside of her and pick up the pace significantly. She moaned again as her legs tighten around him and her scratching intensified.

"Fuck…" Rick mumbled into her neck as he bucked into her. He could feel her coming undone and he thanked the moment he could release himself into her, unsure of how much longer he would hold on.

They stayed like this for several minutes before Rick slipped out her, planting several messy kisses on her chest, clavicle and neck. Michonne chuckled a bit and pushed him away lightly, "stop."

"I'm just trying to relieve your stress like the doctor said…" Rick said with a wide grin as he laid down next to her, laying on his side.

"I think she meant like give me foot massages and cook dinner." Michonne said with a smirk.

"I can do that too." Rick said, still with his wide grin. He wrapped an arm around her and brought him closer to her. He lightly kissed her shoulder. "I love you."

Michonne smiled and let her hand rest above his, "I love you too Rocky."

They were silent before Rick spoke, "so you want that foot massage now?"

"That was just a suggestion if you touch my feet I'm going to kill you." She warned him, pointing a finger at him.

Rick grinned widely, he had remembered her feet being incredibly ticklish. He began to move lower down to the bed to where her feet are.

"Rocky I will leave both your children fatherless." She warned him, moving her feet away from him.

Rick glanced up at her with a smile on his face as he was now in reaching distance of her feet.

"Richard Grimes, I'm not afraid of going to jail!" She said sternly, as if disciplining a child.

Rick grinned up at her, he could count the number of times she said his full name on one hand and he figured maybe today wasn't the best day to press his luck.

"Thank you, now go to bed and leave me and my feet alone." Michonne said with a pleased smile as Rick made his way back up the bed.

"This baby sure does make you cranky boss." Rick said with a smile as he wrapped his arm around her again.

"It's _you_ that makes me cranky." She said with a smirk.

Rick smiled and softly kissed her shoulder, "I love you."

"You're annoying."

"I love you." He repeated.

Michonne glanced over at him and smiled, "I love you too."

 **A/N: Hey guys! :) So first I apologize if there are more typos in this then usual I'm leaving on sunday and won't be bringing my computer so I wanted to get this up for you guys and I've been lowkey tired all week lol! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter as always thank you for the faves/follows/reviews. Have a good and safe weekend :)**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

"Anddd there is the munchkin." Said Dr. Denise who was currently performing an ultrasound on Michonne. She was a little over 3 months now and her slightly bloated look from earlier now was a more pronounced bloated look.

Dr. Cloyd ran her ultrasound wand over Michonne's stomach as Rick and Michonne both watched the monitor. "Here is the head, and our arms, and legs. You aren't going to feel any kicking yet but…" She took Rick's hand and pressed it against Michonne's stomach, "...you can feel the baby in there. Cool right?" She asked happily.

"Now he's going to be touching my stomach even more…" Michonne said with a slight smirk.

Dr. Cloyd chuckled a bit, "dads just like to know what's going on in there!"

Rick smirked at Dr. Cloyd's approval of him constantly touching her stomach and he could see Michonne playfully rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I just want to know what's going on in there!"

"You hear that?" Dr. Cloyd asked, the room quieting to hear a rhythmic beat coming from the monitor. "Momma, you've been doing good that's a beautiful heartbeat." She said with a smile.

Michonne and Rick both wore smiles at the sound of their child's heartbeat. "She has been doing good." Rick said, agreeing with the doctor as he then kissed the back of her hand.

Michonne smiled softly at his affection, "I've been trying."

Dr. Cloyd waved off her coyness, "please, you're doing beautifully." She said with a smile as she began to get up and prepare to exit the room as the appointment was nearing to a close. "So, now I would say would be the best time to tell people you're pregnant. And the next time I see you both we may be able to see a gender if you want to."

Michonne smiled gently and nodded, "thank you doctor."

"No, thank you! You two are great, make sure you are staying relaxed momma and dad make sure you're helping with that, okay? I'll see you both in a few weeks." Dr. Cloyd said with a smile as she exited.

Once they were alone again Rick leaned down and gave Michonne a soft kiss on her lips. "You're already being a great mom…"

Michonne smiled and shook her head a bit, "I haven't even done anything."

"You've done everything you needed to."

"You're so sappy Rocky." Michonne said with a smile.

Rick chuckled a bit, "should we tell carl today?"

Michonne nodded, "yeah, let's tell him."

0000000000000000000

 **A few hours later**

Rick had just picked up Carl from the bus stop and now he was busy reading a comic when Michonne and Rick entered the guest room that was soon to be officially Carl's room.

"Son, Michonne and I want to talk to you about something." Rick said as they both sat on the bed next to Carl.

"Can I finish this comic first pleaseeee? I'm almost done!" Carl asked.

"You can finish." Michonne answered with a soft smile, before Rick could say no.

Rick pursed his lips but nodded in agreement with Michonne. He slid his eyes over to Michonne and she shrugged as if to say _well the baby isn't going anywhere._

"Done!" Carl said after a few minutes of silence as he finished reading. He closed his comic and sat patiently waiting for either Rick or Michonne to start.

Michonne glanced over at Rick, and when he didn't start she did. "Carl, do you know that I love your dad? We use to date long before you were born and I loved him then and I still do. And now, I love you too." She said, her voice soft.

Carl smiled and nodded, "I love you too! And I think dad loves you _a lot_! He always looks at you funny…" Carl said, thinking back to the way Rick looks at Michonne and even he noticed the love his dad had for her even if he couldn't recognize it as love.

"Alright…" Rick mumbled to himself, blushing a bit as Michonne chuckled.

"Oh trust me Carl I've noticed the funny looks." She said with a smirk, glancing over at Rick. "Because I love him and I love you we were thinking that maybe we should all be together. Like, all live here maybe? This could be your room if you want. What do you think of that idea?"

Carl listened as she spoke and his eyes automatically widen as she spoke about all living together. "I can have this room?" He asked.

"Yes." Michonne answered.

"And I can bring all my comics here?" He asked excitedly.

Michonne chuckled a bit and nodded, "you can bring everything you want here."

Carl gasped excitedly, "can we move in right now?"

Rick smiled at his son excitement, "we can move things in this weekend son. But before you get too excited we have one more thing to tell you."

"What is it?" Carl asked, wondering what other surprise was in store for him.

"Well…" Michonne started, "would you want to be a big brother?"

Carl nodded slowly, still not quite grasping why this question was being asked. "Yeah I think it would be nice to have someone to always play with!"

Michonne nodded and smiled, "yeah it would be nice. So, um, guess what? There's a baby in my stomach right now, so you get to be a big brother."

Carl looked down at her stomach and to him there was no major difference then her non pregnant stomach. "But your stomach isn't big!"

Michonne chuckled and nodded, "you're right but my stomach is going to get bigger! And there is either a baby sister or baby brother in here."

Carl looked at her stomach again and placed a hand on it, examining it carefully. "There's a baby in here?"

"Yes."

"So I can be a big brother?"

"Yes."

Carl broke out into a large smile and gave a soft tap to Michonne's stomach. "Hi baby!"

Michonne chuckled a bit as Rick watched with as similar large smile on his face.

"Carl are you happy Michonne is pregnant?" Rick asked.

Carl nodded happily and then gasped as if remembering something, "When Aunt Sasha was pregnant uncle Daryl said he read to her stomach! We gotta read the baby comics!"

Michonne laughed lightly and nodded, "Get your favorite one and we can start now."

00000000000000000

 **That weekend**

It was Saturday which also meant it was moving in day for Rick and Carl. It was early in the morning and Michonne was still nursing her (decaffeinated) coffee as Rick began to bring boxes in. Rick had recruited Daryl and Glenn to come in later in the day to help as well.

"You plan on helping boss?" Rick asked as he brought in a box and wiped the sweat that was already forming at his brow.

"Rocky, I'm carrying our child I can't do any heavy lifting." Michonne said with a smirk and a shrug as she walked over to him with a tissue in her hand. She lightly dabbed his brow with her tissue, "that's my contribution for the day." She said with a smile.

Rick chuckled a bit and pulled his arm around her, "one more contribution." He leaned into her and placed a gentle kiss on the lips.

Michonne smiled as they kissed and pulled away. "We aren't going to get anything done this way."

"Whose we?" Rick asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

Michonne pursed her lips and squinted at him before turning around and attempting to walk away before she heard a chuckle from Rick who was pulling her back to him.

"Rocky, one of us have to make breakfast for your son."

"One more kiss." Rick said with a grin.

Michonne rolled her eyes but gave him a soft kiss. "You're annoying." She said with a small smile.

Rick grinned, "make sure you eat something too boss." He said as he pulled away from her and began walking back to the door.

"I'm not hungry."

"Eat something!" He called out to her as he exited her house to get some more boxes.

00000000000000000000

Carl was now awake and as Rick brought boxes in, Carl was helping Michonne with unpacking. "What room is the baby going to get?" Asked Carl as they were unpacking things for his new room.

"The baby will have the room right next to yours that's an office right now. But when they are first born they'll sleep in me and your dad's s room." Said Michonne who was sitting on the floor with her feet under her as she folded Carl's clothes that will be going in his dresser.

"Is the baby going to cry a lot? Babies usually cry _a lot."_ Carl said, scrunching up his face as he spoke.

Michonne chuckled and nodded, "the baby will probably cry a lot, yes Carl but I'm sure you cried a lot as a baby too."

Carl shook his head, "nope! I never cried!" He said, speaking as if he clearly remembered his memories as a baby.

Michonne laughed lightly, "There is no way you never cried!"

"I never cried!" Carl exclaimed, now with a slight chuckle, as Rick entered the room with another box. "Dad, right I didn't cry as a baby?"

"Well he didn't cry a lot…" Rick said as he put down the box.

"See?" Carl asked, as if that proved his point.

"You did cry! You just didn't cry a lot." Michonne said with a smile as she pointed at him. She glanced up at Rick and noticed the sweat on his brow once again and she bent her finger at him, indicating for him to meet her at her level and she wiped his sweat with a tissue from a nearby tissue box. "What time will Daryl and Glenn be here?"

"Should be any minute now." Rick responded just as he heard his cell phone ringing in his back pocket. "Sounds like them calling now."

"Okay, make sure you tell them they're going to be put to work." Michonne said with a smirk.

Rick chuckled and nodded, "yes, boss." He exited the room and could hear the chatter of Carl and Michonne that was scattered with laughter as he went downstairs to take his phone call. He flipped open his phone, his resistance to get a newer model as a constant source of humor for Michonne, and answered. "Hey, you guys on your way?"

"Rick, why do I have to learn about you moving in with someone from my son?" The voice not belonging to neither Daryl nor Glenn, but to Lori.

Rick sighed and ran a hand over his face, as he sat on the arm of the couch. He had planned to tell Lori that he and Carl were moving in with Michonne as she had the right to know where her son was living. However, via the phone, was not how he had planned for this conversation. "Lori, could we talk about this tomorrow?"

"No Rick we cannot talk about this tomorrow. I get that you guys dated for a while a few years ago but she's only been back a few months. Does Carl even want this?" Lori asked, by her tone Rick could imagine her pacing around the house with one hand on her hip.

"We wouldn't be moving here if Carl didn't want to, you know that Lori." He responded.

Lori was indeed pacing her house, with one hand on the hip. In her previous day with Carl he had mentioned them moving in and she was waiting until Rick would tell her himself, when she felt like he didn't tell her in the appropriate amount of time she decided to call. It surprised her that their relationship had moved so quickly while in her's it seemed like everything moved slow until she got pregnant and then it moved all too fast. "What is she pregnant Rick?"

"Uh…" Rick started off, wondering if there was a point in saying no when Lori would eventually find out or if he was the person to tell Lori that Michonne was pregnant.

"Oh my god…" Lori murmured to herself. She opened her mouth again to say something but was interrupted by a voice in the background.

"Rocky what's taking so long?" Michonne asked, as she came down the stairs to see Rick still on the phone. "Or they close?"

Rick pulled the phone from his ear, "Uh it's not them on the phone. It's Lori. Carl told her about us moving in with you before I could."

Michonne pursed her lips together and held out her hand for the phone, which Rick then handed to her. "Did Rick tell you we were busy today? She asked, omitting any greeting from the conversation.

Lori sighed, knowing that Michonne probably knew the answer to her question, "He did. But I found out you two were moving in together from Carl so I wanted to see if it was true and when Rick was planning on telling me."

"Well, I wanted Rick to move in and so obviously that means I want Carl to move in as well. And they wouldn't be moving here if Carl didn't want to. Rick and I were meaning to tell you but we wanted to get everything settled first. So, if you want to talk about this some other time that's fine but we're busy today." Said Michonne, her voice already seeming bored of the conversation.

There was a pause that made Michonne think that Lori might have hung up before Lori spoke again. "Yeah, later then." She said with an annoyed sighed. Right before she hung up there was a slight pause, "Congratulations." She said even though her voice was a void of emotion.

Once the conversation was over Michonne flipped the phone close and handed back to Rick. "You know if you would have told her about this maybe we could have avoided this situation right?" Asked Michonne with a raised eyebrow.

Rick nodded as he pulled her into him with one arm, "I know."

"And I'm gonna guess her congratulations was not about moving in together?

Rick nodded again, "Yeahhh, about that. She asked if you were pregnant soo….." His voice trailing off as he spoke.

Michonne rolled her eyes but wore a small smile, "I see your lying skills haven't improved in ten years."

Rick let out a slight chuckle, "Yeah not really." Pause. "Are you mad I told her?

She let out a short sigh and a soft half smile "No, I guess she would have figured out I was pregnant at some point….I think this baby is making me soft."

Rick chuckled and gave her several light kisses on the lips. "I like you soft…"

"Don't you have boxes you need to be bringing in?" She asked with a slight smirk.

Rick chuckled a bit, "baby hasn't changed you that much."

00000000000000000

Rick's house was now nearly empty as Daryl and Glenn had showed up and was quickening the process. The men brought boxes to their appropriate rooms and then Carl and Michonne were the ones unpacking.

"So I'm walking into the job and who the hell do I see? Rick over here like he ain't never left." Daryl said with a smile as the three of them each carried boxes.

"Now why would I ruin the surprise of me coming back?" Rick asked with a wide smile. While he wasn't yet in the field it was still good to see Daryl throughout the office.

"You could've ruined the surprise and then you could have gotten yourself a welcome back party with some Rhee's pizza." Said Glenn with a finger point.

Rick chuckled, "I think you're doing just fine without me."

"Just fine? He's swimming in pizza money! I think Sasha is looking into creating a Dixon's pizza soon!" Said Daryl.

Glenn laughed lightly, "Look you guys were the ones you let that awful pizza place stick around you could've done something about it. But you didn't." He said with a shrug and a smile.

"Yeah, whatever." Daryl said with an eye roll as both Glenn and Rick laughed at his small jealously.

"Speaking of pizza Michonne has been wanting some of yours for a few days now so we gotta get a pie today." Said Rick.

Glenn smiled, "of course she's been wanting my pizza its great!" He said as if it was obvious.

"Or maybe the girl is pregnant and wants some okay pizza." Daryl mumbled with a smirk.

"Why can't my pizza just be great? Didn't you just order some? I think you called it the best pizza you ever ate…" Said Glenn with a knowing smile as he thought back to when Daryl said this not too long ago.

"I said it was the best pizza I had _here._ In this town. You ain't got much competition." Responded Daryl.

"And um where exactly else have you been Daryl Dixon that you have had so many different kinds of pizza?" Asked Glenn, the men were now standing at the base of the stairs, their conversation halting any and all progress.

"...look man your pizza ain't that great!" Daryl responded after a few moments.

Glenn chuckled, "Rick, "he said turning to his friend who had stayed quiet this conversation, "tell me does Michonne think my pizza is great?"

"Or is she just a pregnant girl craving pizza with too much sauce?" Said Daryl with a small smirk, also turning to Rick.

Glenn gasped dramatically, "just wrong." He said with feigned disappointment as he shook his head.

"Uh well…." Rick started and it was becoming painfully obvious that he wasn't good a liar.

"Um guys, do you want to keep on bringing boxes or is that just ending for today?" Asked Michonne with a raised eyebrow as she made her way down the stairs. She looked down at the men at the base of her stairs, Rick who looked like he was figuring out the answer to a complicated question and the two men glancing at Rick and then back up at her. She sighed and put one hand on her hip, "did he tell you I was pregnant?"

Daryl broke out in a smile, "I knew she just wanted your pizza cause she was pregnant man!"

Glenn sighed and shook his head, "but her pre-pregnancy taste buds knew how great my pizza was and that's why she wants it!"

Michonne glanced between the men, her brow furrowing in confusion. She sent a look to Rick to say _what are they talking about?_ And he shook his head in response to say _ignore them._

"Yeah, guys Michonne is pregnant. We told Carl earlier in the week." Rick was speaking to his friends but was smiling up at Michonne as he did so, with her returning a small smile to him.

"Well now the pizza is gonna be on the house!" Glenn said with a grin. He hugged his friend congratulations and then started up the stairs to do the same for Michonne. He paused before he could get up to her and then turned his head to Rick and mouthed _can I?_

Michonne laughed a bit, figuring what Glenn was asking. "Yes Glenn you can give me a hug. My pregnancy has made me a lot nicer." She said, half-jokingly.

Glenn smiled and nodded and continued up the stores to give her a quick hug. "Look, if you're having the midnight cravings just call me and we'll bring you some pizza no questions asked."

Michonne chuckled and nodded, "I'll remember that."

Daryl smiled at his friend, "good timing, huh? Getting back on the force just in time to start footing these pizza bills?" He grinned, "Congratulations man." He said nudging his friend with his shoulder. "Congratulations Michonne, mind if I tell Sasha about this?"

Michonne nodded and smiled, "you can tell her."

"And you know she's going to call you right away and talk your ear off about this right?" Asked Daryl as if to make sure she really wanted him to tell Sasha about her pregnancy.

Michonne laughed lightly and nodded, remembering her friend's ability to talk on the phone for so long, "oh I know."

Daryl nodded shrugging a bit, he nudged Rick again and lowered his voice. "The phone bill is about to go through the roof…"

"You boys planning on getting back to work anytime soon or you're gonna sit here and talk about phone bills?" Said Michonne with a smirk.

Rick grinned as Daryl looked up at her with his mouth slightly open. After a moment he nodded as if accepting his defeat. "She's good." He said with a finger wag as both Daryl and Glenn turned to gather more things.

As they both turned Rick quickly made it upstairs and gave her an initial soft kiss on the lips that quickly deepened. Michonne giggled lightly and gently hit his arm as she pulled away. "That meant you too Rocky."

Rick grinned, "Oh, I know." He kissed her one more time before turning around and jogging down the steps, exiting his now current home.

Michonne smiled to herself before turning back around and meeting Carl in his room. "Are we done with boxes?" He asked her.

Michonne shook her head, "no those men were just having the most complicated conversation about pizza I've ever seen." She said, wearing a smile.

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Boxes were no longer coming into the house but instead were being organized into separate rooms with Rick moving things in the living room and Carl setting up his room as Michonne was handling the room she now shared with Rick.

After organizing their bathroom she was now at her closet. Once they had found out she was pregnant Rick had been slowly moving his clothes into her room and her once roomy closet was starting to look smaller and now she had to manage to fit the rest of his clothes in her closet. She stared at her closet for a moment as if doing so would cause extra space to reappear. After a moment she finally walked over to her closet and began moving things over for more space. One of things she briefly moved out of her closet was a box of Andre's thing, not fully closed from the last time she had showed Rick.

As she continued to make space in her closet she heard a voice call to her.

"Michonne, do you know which box dad put my comics in?" Carl asked as he entered the room. He briefly glanced at the unopened box, "did you guys already buy baby stuff?" He glanced over at the box for a bit longer this time and noticed how most of things inside were blue, "are you having a boy?" He asked, excitedly.

Michonne froze for a moment, still in the closet, and let out a small sigh. After a minute she exited the closet and held a small smile, that she hoped appeared genuine, "um no, we didn't buy anything for the baby yet. It's still too early to know if we are having a boy or girl yet." She stood directly in front of Carl who was now trying to peer around her to look at more of the things this box held.

"So why do you have baby stuff?" Carl asked, visibly confused.

Michonne opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again. She could hear Rick still downstairs unaware of what was happening upstairs. She didn't want to lie to Carl but she also had no intentions of bringing up Andre with him. "Um….well in New York...I had a baby."

Carl still look confused, "is the baby still in New York?"

Michonne paused again, searching for the words. "Well um…" She sat down on the floor, crossing her legs and she tapped the spot next to her indicating Carl to sit next to her. "Did your parents ever tell you about heaven?" She finally asked.

Carl thought for a moment and then nodded, "Mhm, when grandpa died my mom told me that's where he went!"

Michonne smiled a bit and nodded, "okay so, my baby that I had in New York, his name is Andre. Um he went to heaven too just like your grandpa."

Carl thought for a moment and nodded at the logic, "mom said grandpa wasn't feeling well so he had to go. Was Andre sick too?"

Michonne smiled a bit, part of her in amazement of how easy this conversation is for Carl and hard for her and part of her smiling to hide her emotions welling up. "Um yeah he got sick." She said quietly.

Carl nodded again and paused for a moment. "At the funeral a lot of people were telling my mom that they were sorry for her loss."

Michonne nodded and smiled a bit again, "yeah, people say that."

Another pause. "I'm sorry for your loss." Carl said with a small smile that carried genuineness with it.

Michonne smiled a bit again, feeling tears coming from behind. She gently pulled Carl towards her and gave him several kisses on the top of his head. "Did anyone ever tell you you're amazing?" She said her voice cracking slightly as she held back from crying.

"Yup!" Carl said proudly with a wide smile.

Michonne chuckled a bit, wiping her eyes a bit before letting go of him. "Yeah, I'm sure." She could hear Rick coming up the stairs before she saw him.

"Alright boss downstairs is finished-" Rick glanced up at Michonne and noticed the difference in her and then Andre's box, as well as Carl in the room. "You okay?" He asked, as he looked at her up and down for any signs that she was upset.

"I'm okay." Michonne said with a small smile.

Rick kept his eyes on her, still showing his concern. "Carl, let me talk to Michonne for a few minutes."

"Dad, I can't find my comics." Carl said with a slight pout as he began to stand.

"Tell you what give me some time to talk to Michonne and then we will go on a hunt for those comics." Rick said with a half-smile, a hand on Carl's shoulder as he spoke.

Carl smiled widely and nodded, "okay! Hurry!" He said as he exited the room.

Rick watched him as he left and then turned to Michonne. "What happened?" He asked as he took a seat next to her.

Michonne smiled a bit and shook her head. "I was trying to make some space in the closet so I took out the box for a second and then Carl came in asking about his comics and he saw so he asked questions about it. And uh…" She smiled again, "Rocky, your kids are making me emotional and this one isn't even born yet." She said as she pointed to her stomach.

Rick chuckled and gave her a light kiss on the lips, placing a hand over her stomach. "But you're okay?"

Michonne nodded, "I'm okay. He said that he was sorry for my loss. At Andre's funeral I heard that from a lot of people but I don't know it felt different when Carl said it….I was not this emotional when I was pregnant the first time."

"What were you like the first time you were pregnant?" Rick asked, as he pulled her closer to him.

"I was pretty grumpy actually. I was the cranky pregnant lady who wanted Mexican food every day." She said with a reminiscing smile.

"So I got the nice pregnant girl?" Rick asked with a smirk.

Michonne chuckled a bit, "no you get the emotional pregnant girl. Carl is gonna run in here saying he got a gold star on his homework and I'm going to start crying like a baby."

Rick laughed lightly, "I would love to see that."

"I know you would!" There was a lull for a moment before she gave Rick a soft kiss on the lips. She smiled again, "go find your sons comics"

Rick smiled but didn't move, "one more."

As if in cue Carl yelled out for his dad, "dadddddd! Are you guys done yet?"

Michonne laughed when she heard Carl, "go to your son."

"One more." Rick said again with a wide grin.

Michonne playfully rolled her eyes but gave him one more kiss. She briefly slipped her tongue in his mouth and then pulled away. "Go."

Rick smiled and leaned in for a third kiss before Carl interrupted.

"Dadddd!" Carl shouted again.

Rick let out a small sigh and shook his head as he got up, "can't wait till that boy is in a relationship so he knows how it feels."

Michonne laughed lightly, "come back here once you're done to help me with the closet!"

"Still kind of bossy even when pregnant huh?" Rick said with a smirk as he walked backwards so he was facing her as he exited.

"Not everything changes Rocky." Michonne said with a smirk.

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With most of the boxes unpacked, Rick's former house now empty, pizza being ate, and Carl now sleeping it was the end of the day. Rick crawled into bed next to Michonne who was reading an old baby book she had when she was pregnant with Andre.

"I think you know that book from memory now." Rick said as he wrapped an arm around her stomach, gently caressing it with his thumb.

Michonne smiled and nodded, "I probably do. I should make you read it, when was the last time you held a baby Rocky?" She asked with a smirk.

Rick feigned shock, "I think I did pretty good with the one I have, thank you."

Michonne chuckled, placing her hand over his hand that was still caressing her stomach. She placed her book on her night stand, adjusting her sonogram so it was leaning against the book. "Yeah, you did good." She said with a soft smile.

Rick smiled at her and they shared a silence before he lifted her shirt half way so her slight bump was exposed. He adjusted himself so now his eye line met her stomach. "So I know we don't have a name for you or even know if you're a boy or a girl…" He spoke in a soft tone as he directed his voice to her stomach.

Michonne rolled her eyes with a smile, "you're a sap Rocky…."

Rick grinned up at Michonne but continued to talk to her stomach. "Your mom calls me sappy but what she doesn't want to say is that she actually likes when I'm sappy she just doesn't want to admit it."

"I don't appreciate you lying to our child." Michonne said with a smirk.

Rick chuckled and stroked her stomach with this thumb again. There was a lull before he spoke again. "I think your mom is a little nervous about having you but uh...I think she's going to be a great mother." He glanced up at Michonne as he spoke, noticing the small smile on her face. "She can be a little cranky sometimes…"

Michonne laughed and gave him a gentle pat on the head, "you're annoying!"

Rick chuckled and continued, "But uh...she loves you I can tell. When she gets ready to go to work she takes a moment and she looks at you in the mirror. And she does the same thing when she gets home, like she's confirming you're still around. She may be a little clingy when you're born but it's just cause she's nervous. She loves you." He glanced up at her and smiled, "yeah, she definitely loves you."

"I'm too hormonal for these sappy things Rocky." Michonne said with a small smile, dabbing at her eye with her finger.

Rick grinned up at her and gave her stomach a soft kiss. "I love you."

"Are you talking to my stomach or me?" Michonne asked.

"Both." He kissed his way up from her stomach to her lips. "I love you." He repeated again.

Michonne gently stroked his curls, twirling them in her fingers when she got to the ends, "I love you too. Even when I'm a little cranky."

Rick chuckled and nodded, "I know."

 **A/N: Ayyyyyy guess whose back? I missed yall! It's good to be back home and have new frank ocean music praise the lord! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter :) Wednesday is when I start classes so uploads will probably be starting every other week but if I can get chapters up earlier then they will be up earlier!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Michonne was sitting at the kitchen table with her phone to her ear. It was an early Saturday morning and the house was quiet as Rick had to take on a Saturday shift and Carl was with Lori for the weekend. Now with her phone ringing in her ear, she was waiting for her mother to pick up.

"Well, you are alive! I should have known as soon as you started talking to Rick again I would never hear from you again. You two are just like how you were as teenagers only concerned about each other!" Michonne's mother, Beverly exclaimed omitting a greeting.

Michonne chuckled a bit, unable to disagree with her mother. "Hi to you too mom."

"Hello, my dear. How is life back in Kings County treating you?"

"It's good mom. I've been doing better actually." As Michonne spoke she wore a faint smile and gently stroked her stomach.

"I'm glad, you sound good. Are you eating okay?"

"Yeah I have, actually um...I've been eating a little bit more than I usually do…" Said Michonne starting her lead into announcing her pregnancy.

"Mm, well I don't remember Kings County having the healthiest options so makes sense." Said Beverly, disregarding Michonne's comment for anything more.

Michonne imagined her mother to be cleaning as she usually did on a Saturday morning so she wouldn't have to clean after church. Her mother's cleanliness definitely was passed on to Michonne as well her knack for silences and the ability to shift from softness to a hardness depending on the person and situation. "I'm pregnant mom."

There were several minutes of silence before Beverly spoke, "Is this a happy pregnancy?" She asked, her voice tentative and soft.

Michonne smiled to herself at her mother's obvious caring, "It is mom. It's still a little scary and I think what happened with 'Dre is always going to be in the back of my mind but...Rick's been really great. He listens, you know? And he can calm me down from any worrying."

"I should have known…" Beverly began her voice now light and happy, free of any concern.

"Should have known what?"

"That as soon as you came back there and started talking to that Grimes boy you would fall right back in love with him like you never left. Now, look at you! Pregnant, I'm assuming you two are living together, I'm pretty sure I can see your smile from here girl."

Michonne laughed a bit bashfully, "Mom…"

"I should have known…" Beverly repeated again, "How far are you?"

"A little over 4 months now. We're looking at a December due date. At our next appointment, we should find out the gender."

"We'll get into the fact that you waited till you were nearly 5 months to tell me you're pregnant at a later time, I hope you know I'll be buying my ticket for December."

"Mom, you don't have to come down." Michonne began.

"And miss the birth of my grandchild, please! I'll be there just make sure you have my room ready."

Michonne chuckled at her mom's persistence, "Yes mom we will."

"Good….I'm very happy for you, you know that? After Andre, I wasn't sure when you will be bouncing back. But you did."

Michonne smiled faintly, "It wasn't all me mom…"

"Oh, I know Rick helped you. But you had something to do with it too. You could have stayed up here and sulked, or moved anywhere else. But you went back to Kings County because you know there would be someone there to help bring you out of the darkness. That takes guts, dear."

Michonne chuckled a bit and nodded, nudging back her tears with her finger. "Mom, you're gonna make me cry over here."

"Oh, so you're not a cranky old pregnant woman this time, huh? Good to know." Beverly said with a half-joking tone.

Michonne chuckled again, "No not this time. I'm a cry baby with this one."

"That means you're having a girl, you know."

"Mom, it does not mean I'm having a girl."

"Mhm, just you wait." There was a slight pause, "Okay, my dear I'm going to let you be now and I'll look up some flight information. Get lots of rest, okay?"

"I will mom." She said, warmly.

"Alright, dear. Tell Rick I said hi. I'll see you soon."

"See you soon mom." And with that both of the women hung up. Michonne stroked her stomach so more, smiling down on it. "Your grandma already think's she knows everything and you aren't even born yet." She said, with a smile.

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"You missed me, boss?" Rick asked as he entered their home after a long day of work. He was loosening his tie as he rounded the corner, seeing Michonne reading on the sofa wearing one of his shirts.

"Nope," Michonne said with a smirk as she shifted her legs so Rick could sit next to her.

"Mhm…" He said with a smile as he kissed her softly. As he did so he picked her legs back up and placed them on his lap. "What you do with an empty house?"

"Cleaned after the two messy boys I live with." She said with a smirk. "And I called my mom. She's happy for us." She said with a smile.

Rick smiled, "she's gonna come down when the baby is born?"

"The woman is already looking at flights," Michonne said with a playful eye roll.

Rick chuckled as they then shared a silence. "Oh, so there's this party the force is throwing that we should probably go to…."

"And when is this party?" Michonne asked with a raised eyebrow

"In a week…."

Michonne let out a groan, "Rocky, do you know I can barely fit into my jeans anymore and now I have to get all fancy?"

Rick attempted to stifle a laugh but failed, "You can't fit into your jeans anymore?"

Michonne hit him softly as she chuckled, "Stop it! You knocked me up and now I can't fit into my jeans!"

"Maybe if you stop getting the tightest ones…." Rick said with a smirk.

"I don't remember you complaining," Michonne said with a raised eyebrow.

"And I never will," Rick said with a wide grin.

"Did you happen to find out what kind of party it is?"

"Uh...I think they said something about a gala of some sort…"

Michonne groaned, "You're killing me Rocky!"

Rick chuckled, "Can't you just buy something?"

"I think I have something that can work you better hope I don't become huge between now and next week." She said with a poke to his arm.

"You know we could just not go…" Rick said with a hopeful smile.

"Oh, we're definitely going to go now," Michonne said with a smirk

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 **A week later**

Rick had just finished getting ready, he wore a dark blue tuxedo with a matching bow tie. He was adjusting his bow tie in the mirror when he called out to Michonne. "Boss, you ready?"

"Yeah, I think so. How does this look?" She asked as she walked over to the bathroom where he was adjusting his tie. Michonne was wearing a silk dress that resembled a slip that grazed the floor. The dress clung to her now larger breasts and stomach. Her locs were up in a low bun and a few loose strands framed her face. Her makeup was minimal with a red lip accentuating her face.

Rick slowly rolled her eyes up her body, not making any attempts to hide his staring. "Uh...you look...you sure we just can't stay home tonight?" As he spoke his eyes danced from her face to her chest and back.

"You know you can't stare at my breasts all night Rocky," Michonne said with a smirk.

"Who says?" Rick asked, looking up at her with a grin.

Michonne laughed lightly and shook her head, "Come on let's go." She said, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the bathroom.

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 **A few moments later**

In a large event place, the gala was being held with balloons and small tables scattered around the room was full of cops and their guests. Rick and Daryl had joined the search for food while Sasha and Michonne were leaning against a wall, Sasha sipping champagne and Michonne with water.

"The bump has gotten so big!" Sasha said with a smile.

Michonne chuckled a bit and nodded, "it has. I think it's finally time to get maternity jeans."

"I'm sure Rick will be sad to see the tight jeans go," Sasha said with a smirk.

Michonne chuckled, "he'll live."

Sasha laughed lightly and nodded, "are you guys planning on having a baby shower?"

Michonne shrugged a bit her face slightly scrunched up, "I don't know. Maybe Rick will want one but I don't really want some huge thing."

Sasha nodded, "you know if you said you wanted a baby shower up in the clouds he would try to make it work so I'm sure he'll do whatever you want."

Michonne smiled and nodded, "yeah I think he would too." A small pause. "You know I just told my mom I was pregnant a few days ago."

Sasha's eyes widen, "you _just_ told Ms. 7Beverly you were pregnant? You're lucky she's all the way in New York." She said with a raised eyebrow.

Michonne laughed, "The years have softened her if you would believe it. I would say she was only mildly annoyed. Now if this was a few years ago…"

"She would have yelled at you for hours!" Sasha exclaimed.

Michonne laughed, holding her stomach as she did so. "Yeah, she would have! You remember that night I snuck out with Rick to see the late night movie?"

Sasha nodded excitedly, "yes! You were so convinced you were safe and you opened your bedroom door to see her sitting on your bed!"

"Till this day I've never screamed so badly in my life! I'm convinced that one month of cleaning everything made me into this clean freak today."

Sasha laughed and nodded, "I don't know who was worse off you or sad Rick."

"Definitely sad Rick," Michonne said with a wide smile. As she spoke Rick and Daryl came back with small plates of food.

"You see? Leave them alone for a few minutes and they are already talking about us." Daryl said with a smirk, as Sasha picked food of his plate.

"If it makes you feel any better it was just about Rick," Michonne said with a smile.

Rick purses his lips and squinted over at her playfully, "oh really?"

"Yup," Michonne said happily.

"And what were y'all saying?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing." Michonne and Sasha both said at once, followed by their laughter.

"You're never gonna get it out of them man, trust me," Daryl said with a head shake.

Rick chuckled a bit, "I think you're right about that."

"He is." Said Michonne with a knowing smile and a nod.

Sasha nodded as well, "he really is."

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 **A few hours later**

As hors d'oeuvre were being passed around Rick nudged Michonne, noticing that she hadn't yet eaten. "You should eat boss."

Michonne frowned and shook her head, "I don't want this stuff…"

"Michonne…" Rick began.

"What, it's not me! Your child doesn't want this food." She said with a small smirk.

Rick chuckled, "So what does my child want?"

"Pizza." She quickly responded with a smile.

Rick chuckled and shook his head, "aren't you tired of pizza already?"

Michonne shrugged, "what can I say the kid likes it."

"I think you like it."

"And?" She responded with a smile.

Rick chuckled again and after a pause, he turned to her, "alright let's go get pizza then."

Michonne raised her eyebrow, "the party isn't over yet rick."

He shrugged, "it's almost over. And I've seen everyone. Come on."

"...I want Glenn's pizza, not king's county cardboard."

Rick laughed lightly and nodded, "I know, I know. Come on."

"Is he even going to be open?"

"He'll be open," Rick assured her with a smile. "Come on." He said again, this time, pulling her by the waist towards the exit.

After a moment Michonne smiled and nodded, "alright, let's go."

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"This is the best pizza I've had in my whole life," Michonne said happily in between bites. She and Rick were sitting on the hood of her car as they ate, making it to Rhee's pizza just in time where Glenn had happily given them food.

"You say that every time," Rick responded.

"Because it's always true!" She said as if it was obvious.

Rick chuckled and shook his head as they continued to eat. They shared a silence and once Rick was done he took some moments to take Michonne in. She was still dressed with her shoes now off, her loc down, and his coat in her lap since she insisted her napkins were too thin to prevent grease stains. "I love you." He finally said.

Michonne smiled softly, "you're being sappy with some pizza, Rocky?"

Rick chuckled and brought her to him, "I love you." He repeated again as his hand began to stroke her growing stomach.

She smiled again, "I love you too."

Rick began to nuzzle his face in the crook of her neck, lightly kissing her as Michonne giggled a bit.

"Rick, I can barely fit in that little car I'm not having sex with you in there again," Michonne said, already knowing where his neck kisses often led to.

"So let's go home," Rick responded, his kisses turning into gentle sucking of her skin.

Michonne let out a light giggle again, "Alright Rocky let's go home. Try not to blow through the red lights." She said with a slight smirk as she moved off the hood of her car as did Rick.

"No promises." He said with a wide grin, opening the door for her and then entering the car.

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Rick was busy sucking on Michonne's neck with her laying under him with one of his hands under her and the other lightly grazing her exposed nipples. As he did so Michonne gasped a bit.

"They're sensitive Rocky…" Speaking in a hushed tone even though their home was empty.

Rick smiled to himself as his kisses were trailing down to her collarbone. "Sorry...sorry….next time...then…" His words broken up by the breaks he took to suck on her skin.

Michonne giggled a bit, "next time." She trailed her hand down his shirt and began to unbutton it. They were both still half dressed with her dress pulled down to right under her breasts and Rick's jacket and tie thrown onto the floor. She laid on the edge of the bed with Rick over her, leaning on his elbows.

Rick continued to suck on her skin going down to in between her chest. He pushed her up slightly with his hand to pull down her dress more with the other to expose her stomach. He grazed his hand down her stomach as he gave it light kisses. He continued his hand down till he was met with her underwear, he shifted them to the side and was immediately greeted with her wet folds.

Michonne gasped quietly as she felt Rick slip into her with one finger. She ran her hand through his hair, as she began moaning her hands slightly pulled on his hair.

Rick smirked at her hair pulling, "pregnancy made you a little rough, huh?" He mumbled as he continued to work his finger inside of her.

Michonne chuckled a bit, "shut up!"

Rick chuckled as well, bringing his finger out of her. He went to his knees pulling her into him, "bossy too." He said with a smirk before his tongue entered her and began exploring her folds.

"Shut...up…" Michonne said, her voice breathy as Rick licked her and she began to pull on his hair again. "Oh...my god…" She said, moaning again, feeling herself become undone quicker than usual thanks to her pregnancy hormones.

Rick continued to lick her folds even when realizing she was in the process of coming. He took one finger and gently played with her bud as he continued to explore in folds.

"Rick...Rick...Rick...wait...oh my god…" Michonne moaned, feeling her second orgasm come crashing into the next. She roughly pulled him up by his hair, getting met with a wide grin and his now wild hair. "You're gonna put me in labor right now if you keep doing that…" she said after taking a moment to catch her breath.

Rick grinned, pulling down her underwear and dress simultaneously as he spoke. "Not my fault you come fast now…"

Michonne giggled a bit covering her hand with her face as she did so, "stop!" She said playfully.

Rick chuckled and took off his shirt. He leaned down peeling her hand off her face. "I like it." He said with a smirk before kissing her deeply.

Michonne smiled into the kiss, both of their tongues dancing with each other as she brought her hand down to his pants. She quickly undid his belt and unbuckled his pants, allowing them to come to his ankles. She pulled down his boxers, gently stroking his dick as it jumped at her touch.

Rick moaned lightly as he felt her touch, pulling away a bit. He adjusted her again before slowly pushing his dick inside of her, being met with louder moans then before from her. He smiled to himself opening her legs more as he began slow, rhythmic strokes.

"Jesus…" Michonne moaned, gripping onto Rick's arm as she did so. Squeezing his arm when he began to pick up his pace. "Oh...my god...Rick...Fuck….Rick…" She moaned, feeling herself come again at his slight pace change.

Rick smirked as he felt her come, pulling out for a moment. "You can handle something faster than that, boss?"

"Be happy you have an empty house cause otherwise your answer would be no," Michonne said with a half-smile.

Rick chuckled a bit and nodded as he slipped into her again. He could still feel the slight throbbing of her as he began thrusting into her faster than before. He leaned on his elbows as he sucked on her neck again and was met with her loudest moans of the night.

Michonne gripped onto Rick's shoulder as he bucked into her, holding onto him as if her life depended on it as she moaned, her hushed tone now gone. "Fuck...fuck...fuck...Jesus Christ….Rick…"

Rick groaned into her neck feeling her tighten around him in such a consistent way, making it harder for him to not come. He thrusted into her a few more times before spilling into her, moaning into her neck as she began to loosen his grip on him.

They stayed together for a moment before Rick pulled out of her. He lingered above her with a blissful smile before leaning in to give her soft kisses on the lips. "We gotta do that some more before you give birth." He said with a grin after pulling away from her as she sat up.

"You just like that I'm more sensitivity so you wanna torture me." She said with a smirk as she got up and went to the dresser, pulling on one of his shirts before walking back to the bed.

"You look good in that…" Rick said, eyeing her up and down, despite that every night now she has been sleeping his shirts.

"You're not getting any more, so don't try it," Michonne said with a smirk and an eyebrow raise.

Rick chuckled and nodded as he slipped on a pair of sweatpants, "yes boss." He laid down next to her and pulled her into him so they were spooning. His hand resting on her stomach.

Michonne laced her fingers through Rick's. She could feel her eyes getting heavy and right before she could fall asleep she felt a kick come within in her.

"...did I just feel a kick?" Rick asked.

Michonne smiled and nodded, turning so she was laying on her back. "You did," she gasped slightly at another kick, "and another one." She smiled again as both Rick and her kept their hands on her stomach. "It's nice to know you're awake in there but you wanna go to sleep for me?" Michonne asked her stomach and was met with another kick.

Rick chuckled a bit, "already got your attitude."

Michonne laughed lightly, "Both of you let me be."

Rick chuckled again, before giving her a soft kiss on the lips. "Alright, now the both of you go to sleep." He said to both Michonne and their unborn baby. He paused to wait for a kick and when he felt none he smiled, "see you just gotta have the right tone with kids." He said with a grin.

Michonne laughed as she moved back to their spooning position, "be quiet Rocky."

Rick chuckled and lightly kissed her shoulder, "I love you."

Michonne smiled and reached her hand up to play with the ends of his hair, "I love you too."

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 **A few weeks later**

Michonne and Rick were currently at her 5-month appointment in order to find out the gender of their baby.

"Alright, so let's see if the munchkin wants to show us their gender today huh?" Asked Dr. Denise as she waved an ultrasound wand over Michonne's stomach.

"My mom says that I'm having a girl and that's why I'm so emotional this time around." Said Michonne with a small smirk.

Rick chuckled and nodded, "I can get behind that logic."

Denise smiled, "I have heard that before but sometimes we still get boys from emotional mommas." She waved the wand around some more, "Here is our heartbeat….still beautiful, good job momma. And the munchkin is in sight….you're having a little girl!"

Michonne smiled, letting out the breath she wasn't aware she was holding. "A girl…" She looked up at Rick who was wearing a smile. "A girl." She repeated again.

Rick kissed the back of her hand, "our first girl."

Denise smiled at them as she continued to watch the sonogram. "She's trying to suck her thumb in there, right here." She said pointing to the screen.

"She is already kicking often…" said Michonne.

"Oh yeah? We like movement, I'm glad." Denise said happily. "Okay, so I'm going to leave you too. And if you would like a sonogram of the little girl you can pick up at reception, okay?" She smiled as she got up, "I'll see you both next month."

As she left Michonne let out another breath and Rick squeezed her hand. "You okay boss?"

"I'm trying not cry again." She said with a small chuckle, "happy tears. I promise. I'm just...I still remember finding out I was having a boy like it was yesterday. And now I'm with you. And I'm happy again. Having our daughter." She said with a smile, blinking back tears.

Rick smiled softly and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "You're amazing."

Michonne chuckled a bit and rolled her eyes, "shut up."

"You are." He kissed her again, "you are."

 **A/N: what took me 5 million years to put out this chapter? Idk man. (lol jk its called laziness folks). Anywhooo hope yall like this chapter. Sooooo guess what this story will be ending soon haha. Like maybe max 5 chapters left. Which is kinda cray since this is my longest story and I love it but we won't be stretching this past it's time. I do plan to answer loose end questions with the next few chapters so no worries. Anywho next chapter will have some Carl moments :). As alwayssss thank you for the fave/follow/reviews. (pssstttt if you are all for fluffy richonne go check out my newest story something about you!)**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

Michonne was standing in what would be their future daughter's room. Her forearm resting on her now 7 month's stomach. She was staring at their wall that had 3 large paint swatches, one pastel pink, lilac, and a pastel green. After a moment she spoke, "I don't like any of them, Rocky."

Rick let out a groan, "you're killing me, boss."

Michonne shrugged, "don't you want your daughter's room to be perfect?"

"I'm gonna be high off paint fumes by the time that happens."

Michonne laughed lightly, "she doesn't like it either she's kicking like crazy right now."

"How you know she's not kicking cause she likes one of these colors?" Rick asked with a smirk.

"Mother's intuition," Michonne said with a grin. "Did we try turquoise?" She gasped as she gained an idea, "turquoise and grey let's try that." she said happily.

Rick chuckled at her small excitement, "carlll! Come here!"

"You trying to veto me, Rocky?" Michonne said with a raised eyebrow.

Rick shrugged, "just wanted a second opinion." He said with a sly grin.

"Mhm…," Michonne said as Carl came in the room.

"Yeah, dad?" Carl asked as he entered the room.

"You like any of these colors?" Rick asked, waving his hand to indicate them.

Carl looked at the colors for a few moments taking them in and scrunching up nose. He shook his head, "dad, these colors aren't cool."

Michonne chuckled and Rick let out another groan. "Carl that's why you're my favorite Grimes boy." She said as she walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the forehead. She turned to Rick, "so turquoise and grey please."

Rick squinted his eyes at both of them, "Yall planned this I know it."

Michonne chuckled, "don't be a sore loser Rocky….you gonna get the paint today?" She asked with a bright smile, knowing that he would.

Rick chuckled at her and nodded. He wrapped an arm around her and gave her a light kiss on the lips. "I'll get the paint today."

Carl scrunched up his face at their kiss, "okay, I'm gonna go now!"

Michonne and Rick both laughed at his reaction. "Carl, I have a job for you." Michonne said waving him back into the room, "I need you to help your dad find the prettiest turquoise and the prettiest grey okay! And don't let him come back until you find it and then we can watch some Spider-Man movies what do you think about that?" She said with a wide smile.

Carl grinned and nodded, "okay! We need popcorn!"

Michonne smiled and nodded, "okay so turquoise and grey and popcorn! That's our list."

"So what when I'm up here painting y'all gonna be watching movies and eating popcorn?" Rick asked with a raised eyebrow.

Michonne chuckled a bit, "you could join us when you're done, Rick."

Rick laughed lightly, "geez thanks." He gave Michonne one more light kiss, "come on Carl let's go get this paint."

"And popcorn!" Carl reminded him.

Rick smiled and nodded, "and popcorn."

0000000000000

 **A few moments later**

"Are you ready to be a big brother Carl? Your sister is gonna be here soon." Rick asked his son as they walked over to the paint store.

Carl nodded, "yeah, I already know all of the things I'm gonna teach her!"

"Oh yeah, what's gonna be the first thing she learns?"

"Well, Michonne and I have been reading comics to her so I think the first thing would be all superheroes!"

"Really? All of them do you think she could handle that?" Rick asked with a raised eyebrow.

Carl nodded, sure of himself, "she already knows so much dad!"

Rick chuckled, "you're right, she probably knows more than I do." There was a small pause. "Hey, so you know we aren't gonna have a baby shower right? Michonne just wants something small."

"But we got her surprise presents!" Carl said excitedly. Despite Michonne not wanting a large event, Rick couldn't help but buy a few things for her and the baby that she would eventually be surprised with.

Rick chuckled and nodded, "yeah we still got her a few things. But I think we should get her one more thing, got any ideas?"

Carl thought for a moment, "Well in New York Michonne mentioned she had a cat! We can get her a cat!"

Rick scrunched up his face at the idea, "uh...let's get back to the idea. What else?"

"Umm…" Carl continued.

00000000000000000000

 **Meanwhile**

Michonne was just closing the door as she received a package, a bouquet. She placed the flowers in a vase, assuming they were from her mother. She opened the card, which said congratulations on the front.

 _Hey. Heard you were pregnant. Not through your mom ha. Just some news around here. Congratulations. You do deserve this. Sorry for being an asshole._

The card wasn't signed but she could tell by the handwriting that it was from Mike. She sighed a bit, her hand lightly touching her stomach as she read through the card a second time. She felt a kick and chuckled a bit to herself, "Yeah, your dad is gonna feel the same way." She heard the door opening and put the card on the kitchen counter.

"We got popcorn!" Carl said excitedly as he greeted her in the kitchen with Rick behind him.

Rick chuckled a bit, "And the paint samples." He gave Michonne a light kiss on the lip as a greeting and then noticed the flowers. "Who the flowers from?"

"Carl, tell you what can you bring the paint upstairs for me? And then I'll make some popcorn and maybeeeee we can make a fort." She said with a smile.

Carl nodded, excitedly. "Okay! Call me when you need fort help!"

Michonne chuckled and nodded, "I will." Once Carl had run upstairs Michonne turned to Rick.  
"Read the card." She said, handing it to him.

Rick wore a confused expression but read the card anyway. After a moment he looked up at her with a roll of his eyes. "Is this from who I'm assuming it's from?"

"Yeah, it's from Mike."

"...You think he's back in Georgia?"

Michonne shook her head, "No, I think he just sent them. I think my mom told some of my friends up there and because most of them were mutual one of them told him." She paused, "You want me to get rid of them?"

Rick thought for a moment, "Keep 'em." He finally said.

"Rocky, if you want me to throw them out tell me." She said softly, as she did she picked his hand up and wrapped his arm around her. Wrapping her own arm around his neck.

Rick smiled a bit, "Keep them. He is an asshole. But uh, at least he didn't cheap out on the flowers."

Michonne chuckled a bit and nodded. "Look at Rocky all grown up."

Rick laughed lightly, "Yeah, yeah."

Michonne smiled and gave him several soft kisses on the lips. "You tell me if it bothers you."

"I will boss." He said with a smile.

"Okay," She said with a smile as she gently stroked his cheek. "...Did you get the correct paint colors?"

Rick chuckled a bit, "I know how to pick colors boss!"

"You sure about that?" Michonne asked with a smirk.

"Don't you have a fort to be working on?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't you have a room to paint?"

Rick laughed lightly, "So bossy."

000000000000000000000000000

 **A week later**

"Rick?" Michonne called into the assumingly empty house. She had spent the day with Sasha, catching up and receiving a few things for the baby. Now she was home from her day. She made her way upstairs, wondering where he could've gone since he had made no mention of plans today.

Once upstairs she went to the bedroom where there was a note on the bed from Rick that read: _Hey, come over to the nursery. Got a surprise for you._ Michonne smiled to herself as she read it and walked towards the nursery. Just a day ago the only progress made on it was the paint, light grey walls with turquoise accents.

"Surprise!" Said an excited Carl who jumped up and down when seeing Michonne enter the room.

Rick smiled at her, "You like it, boss?"

The previously unfurnished nursery was now completely done. The room had light grey furniture, a crib, rocking chair, changing table. And turquoise accents throughout the room including a rug, curtains, and decorative pieces.

"Rocky…" Michonne said softly, as she took in the room.

"I gotta admit I got some help. Called your mom a few times since she has knows you can be picky." Rick said with a small chuckle. "And uh, the crib changes into a bed. She said you would like that kind. And then I was able to send the stuff to Glenn's place. And Carl helped me put everything together."

"Dad, what if she thinks it's ugly?" Carl whispered, fairly loudly, as Michonne remained silent.

Michonne let out a short laugh, attempting to stifle any oncoming tears. "No, Carl I don't think it's ugly. It's….perfect. Rick….it's perfect." She said, with a smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you…thank you."

Rick smiled, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm glad you like it, boss."

"I love it. It's exactly what I wanted." Michonne turned to Carl, gesturing for him to come over. "Thank you, Carl." She said, then kissing him on the top of his head. "You did a really good job hiding this surprise. I'm proud of you."

Carl smiled widely, "It was hard! But dad promised me _lots_ of comics."

Michonne laughed lightly, "Oh did he now?"

Rick chuckled, "I did...Oh, there's one more surprise. Let's go downstairs." He said as he pulled her towards the stairs.

"Is it just your goal to turn me into a crybaby, Rocky?"

Rick chuckled and nodded, "It is. But this was one all Carl's idea."

Carl nodded, "It was!"

"Alright, so close your eyes for a second," Rick said as they made it to the living room and Michonne did so. "Okay, open them," Rick said after a few minutes.

"So…" He began. "The first is our baby girl. You have no idea how happy I am to be having a daughter with you Michonne." Rick said as Carl handed Michonne a framed picture of her most recent ultrasound.

"Rick…" Michonne began, already feeling tears beginning to grow.

"Don't cry yet boss they are a few more things…" Rick said with a smile. "The next one is an ultrasound of Carl." As he spoke, Carl handed Michonne his own ultrasound. "This kid loves you, Michonne. I don't know anyone he's ever grown such an attachment to so quickly. He loves you."

"You guys are killing me…" Michonne said with a smile as tears were beginning to fall.

"Last one...It's um...Andre's ultrasound." Carl handed, off the last ultrasound as Michonne's tears had started to come faster than before. "Andre is your baby Michonne. He will always be your first child. I know he loved you. And I know you love him. And just because he isn't here anymore that doesn't stop any of that. I wish I could've met him but I thank you for telling me about him. And for telling Carl about him. Thank you."

"Rick…" Michonne said again through her crying. She wrapped her arms around him again and let her tears fall in the crook of her neck.

Rick gently rubbed her back as she cried and whispered into her ear. "You're happy with your gifts?"

Michonne nodded, with her head still buried in his neck and Rick gave Carl a small thumbs up indicating to him that they were indeed happy tears. After a few minutes, she pulled away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Carl, did your dad warn you that I'm a big crybaby now?"

Carl smiled and nodded, "Yup!"

Michonne laughed lightly and pulled him towards her giving him another kiss on his head. "You are an amazing kid, did you know that? Truly amazing."

Carl smiled widely at her compliment, "Amazing?"

"Amazing." Said Michonne with a smile. "And you…" Michonne said turning to Rick, "You realize nothing I do now can top this, right?"

Rick chuckled and nodded, "I do."

Michonne smiled and let out a breath, "These kids turn me into a mess."

"I like your mess," Rick said, giving her several small kisses.

Carl lightly tapped Michonne's stomach, "Ummm, do you think you'll be even happier if we get some pizza?" He asked, with a hopeful smile.

Michonne laughed lightly at his not so conspicuous way of asking. "A boy after my own heart! Call Glenn get whichever one you want."

"Yay!" Carl said excitedly, running off to the kitchen.

Rick chuckled, "don't you think he should have some parental guidance before we end up getting 10 pies of god knows what?"

"I don't even care you boys can do no wrong." She said with a smile, giving him another kiss. "Thank you."

"Anything for you," Rick responded.

"How long have you been planning this?"

"Well, the nursery I wanted to do as soon as you found out you were pregnant. But the pictures was when Carl and I went out to get the paint. I asked him what else we should get you. At first, he said a cat since you had one in New York. I vetoed that idea."

Michonne chuckled, "of course."

"And then I was like alright what else? I think he was going off of the things you talk about because he brought up Andre. And maybe we can do something with the stuff you have of him. Soo...I figured let's do something that will show your kid, my kid, and our kid."

"You make me so happy Rick, you realize that? Truly, truly happy. I don't know what I would do without you, Rocky." Michonne said with a smile as she stroked the hair at the nape of his neck.

Rick leaned in, kissing her tenderly. He pulled away and smiled, "anything for you."

0000000000000000000

 **A few hours later**

"Boss, that thing takes up the whole bed." Said Rick.

"Sasha gave it to me, it makes it easier to sleep with your child in my stomach." Said Michonne who was wrapped around a large pregnancy pillow.

"You don't need a pillow when I'm in the bed with you," Rick said as he slipped into bed.

"Believe it or not Rocky you're not that comfy." Said Michonne with a smirk.

"Wowww, that's hurtful boss," Rick said, feigning hurt.

Michonne chuckled and hit his shoulder lightly, "shut up."

They shared a silence before Michonne spoke again, "do you think I should stop working Rick? When the baby comes?"

Rick thought for a moment, "...are you asking because you want to be home or are you asking because you're scared of what could happen if you're not?"

"...I don't know." Michonne said with a small sigh.

Rick turned to her so they were fully facing each other. He reached out for her stomach and lightly stroked it. "Michonne, this baby will be okay. She will make it. And she'll be okay whether you have to go back to work after 3 months or not. There will always be someone watching her that loves her. Don't let your fear of what if prevent you from working. Cause I know you love it. You still working 7 months pregnant ain't you?" Rick asked with a smile.

Michonne chuckled a bit and nodded, "I am."

"Alright then, so do what you want to do. But don't choose because you're scared. She's gonna be okay." Rick said with a reassuring smile.

Michonne smiled and gave him a soft kiss on the lips, "thank you."

"You're welcome boss," Rick said with a smile. He paused for a moment, "can we get rid of the pillow now?"

Michonne laughed and hit his shoulder again, "no!"

Rick chuckled, "alright, thought I at least tried."

000000000000000

 **A few days later**

It was late at night and Michonne was still awake, going through a book of baby names. Rick was working late tonight and she realized that she had grown used to falling asleep with him and now she couldn't sleep. She skimmed through the book, highlighting the names she liked. Rick and her had discussed names but had yet to pick one. As she read through the names she heard a small knock and then saw Carl peeking in.

"Aren't you suppose to be sleeping Carl?" Michonne asked him with a raised eyebrow.

Carl nodded, sleepily rubbing his eyes. "I had a bad dream, can I sleep here?"

Michonne smiled softly and nodded, patting the spot next to her. "Of course you can come on."

Carl yawned but smiled joining her in bed. "What are you reading?" He asked once he was comfy under the blankets.

"I'm looking at baby names for your little sister. You're gonna be a big brother very soon." She said with a smile, brushing hair out of his eyes.

Carl nodded and smiled, "when is she gonna come?"

"December 26. You think this house is ready for a baby?"

"Wellll I think she needs a name first Michonne!" Said Carl.

Michonne chuckled and nodded, "you're right…tell you what I'm gonna give you an important job."

"What?" Carl asked, excitedly.

"There's 3 names that your dad and I really like. I'm gonna show you them. And I want you to think _really_ long and hard about which name you think is best for your sister, okay? You up for the task?" She asked with a smile.

Carl smiled widely and nodded, "yes! I can do it, I promise!"

Michonne smiled, "okay, come closer let me show you the names." She said as he moved over to look at the baby book. She pointed out the three names that she and Rick liked best. "Okay? So think about it. And you let me know when you have your decision."

Carl nodded, taking his role seriously, "I will!"

"Good...now I think it's time for both of us to go to sleep." She said with a smile.

Carl nodded, "okay...you turn off the lights!"

Michonne chuckled and nodded as she turned off the lamp on her bedside table. "Goodnight Carl." She said, kissing him on the top of his head.

"Goodnight Michonne." He said, giving her a small hug in return.

0000000000000000000000

 **A few hours later**

Rick had just gotten home from a late shift. He entered the bedroom, flicking on the light. He smiled at the unexpected sight, both Carl and Michonne sleeping. Her arm around his shoulders. He took them in, still smiling. Not wanting to disturb them he began to turn around to sleep in Carl's room for the night.

"Where are you going, Rocky?" Michonne asked in a hushed tone, as she began to wake up.

Rick smiled at her voice and turned back around, "I'm not sure if there's room for me, boss."

"Don't be annoying Rocky come to bed." She said with a small smile.

Rick chuckled and nodded, "yes boss." He changed into his pajamas as Michonne gently moved Carl over so there was space for Rick to lay beside her. He got in bed, turning the light off, besides her and wrapped his arm around her stomach. "So what's the reason all the kids are in the bed tonight?"

"Your son had a bad dream and asked if he could sleep here. And I said yes. And your daughter is pretty comfortable in my stomach so there's that." She said with a smirk.

"You can't say no to Carl, can you?"

"How am I supposed to say no to that face? Watch you're gonna be the same way with her."

Rick laughed lightly and nodded, "yeah, you're probably right."

"I know I am….speaking of our daughter, I told Carl he can pick her name."

"Boss…" Rick began.

"I didn't give him completely free reign I told him our favorite 3 and he is picking from those. I want him to feel like he is a part of this process."

"...I guess I can work with that." Rick said with a small smile, now liking that idea.

"You're gonna have to," Michonne said with a smirk.

Rick chuckled, "I liked you better when you were the crying pregnant lady."

Michonne laughed gently, "shut up and go to sleep Rocky."

Rick smiled and kissed her shoulder lightly, "goodnight Boss."

 **A/N: New chapter! Glad I didn't take forever with this one like the last one haha. Hope you enjoy! Sooo close to the end it's crazy! Thanks for the constant support to the story, y'all are great :) thank you for the fave/follows/reviews as always.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

"Carl, have you picked out a name yet?" Asked Michonne who was quickly approaching the end of her pregnancy with three weeks left. Carl, Rick, and Michonne were all sitting around the table after finishing their dinner.

Carl shook his head, "I'm still thinking!"

"At this rate, she's gonna be 2 with no name." Said Rick with a small smirk.

Michonne chuckled a bit, "I'm sure Carl will have a name in time, right?"

Carl nodded happily, "right!"

Michonne smiled and nodded, "she'll have a name rocky." There was a slight pause and a quick inhale as one of her now often Braxton Hicks contractions made itself known. "I'm okay." She said, answering Rick before he could say anything.

"You've been having a lot of those lately…" Rick said his face wearing a look of concern.

Michonne smiled softly, reassuring him. "It's just Braxton Hicks I'll know when I'm going into labor, trust me."

"Yeah, dad it's just Braxton Hicks!" Carl said assuring his father as he heard this conversation quite a few times.

Rick chuckled a bit, "do you even know what that is?"

"Nope!" Carl exclaimed with a smile.

Michonne and Rick both shared a laugh as she got up from her seat and began bringing dishes to the sink.

"Boss, you don't need to wash dishes you know," Rick said getting up behind her.

"And who's gonna wash them? You're terrible at washing dishes." She said with a small smirk.

"How could anyone be bad at washing dishes?"

"I ask myself that same question, Rocky." She responded with a wide smile as she began to wash dishes.

Rick chuckled a bit and nodded, "you gonna be cleaning up till you give birth?"

"I'm pretty sure when my mom comes she's not gonna let me clean a thing. She may even give you a good lesson on how to clean dishes."

Rick chuckled and nodded, "I'll be there with bells on."

"When will your mom be here Michonne?" Carl asked, chiming in.

"This Thursday. Her flight gets in late though so you'll probably meet her Friday morning." She responded.

"Does she like comics too?" Carl questioned.

Michonne chuckled a bit and shook her head, turning to him as she finished the dishes, "she doesn't. But she makes the best cookies I've ever had so I think that makes up for it."

Carl thought for a moment and nodded, "I agree!"

00000000000000000000

 **Next Thursday**

It was a late Thursday night and everyone was asleep except for Michonne who stayed up for her mom. She was reading on the couch when she heard her doorbell ring. She smiled to herself as she got up to answer it. "Mom." She said once she opened the door to her mother.

Beverly smiled, "You look like you're ready to pop." She said before embracing Michonne and then entering the home with a small suitcase. When looking at Beverly it was clear that Michonne was her child. With just a few slight differences in their noses and eye shapes, both of the women looked the same. The only major difference was in their hair, as Beverly wore hers as a small afro.

"A few more weeks," Michonne responded as they both sat on the couch. "Rick and Carl are sleeping so you'll meet Carl tomorrow. I told him about your cookies. So you're gonna have to make them soon."

Beverly chuckled, "I just got here and you're already putting me to work."

The two of them shared a laugh before falling into a comfortable silence. "I'm glad you're here mom," Michonne said.

Beverly smiled softly and nodded, "Me too. Have you been getting your rest?"

"Yes, mom I have been. Rick's is making sure of it."

Beverly nodded approvingly, "Good….you're ready to have a baby again?"

Michonne thought for a moment, "Yeah...I think.I think it's still gonna be scary, you know? I feel like I'm gonna be a first-time mom all over again. That same nervousness about it. But….I don't feel like I'm gonna lose this one. I feel...really good about her." She said with a small smile.

Beverly smiled and gave Michonne a light kiss on her forehead. "I'm glad baby. Have you two picked a name yet?"

Michonne chuckled a bit to herself, remembering that she hadn't told her mother about Carl picking his future sisters name. "Actually mom Rick and I aren't picking her name...Carl is."

Beverly wore a face of confusion, her brows scrunched up. "Michonne children name their toys….not people."

Michonne let out a small chuckle, "Mom trust me it'll be fine. I gave him three names to choose from and he's taking his decision very seriously. When you meet him tomorrow you'll understand, he's a great kid. I trust him with this decision."

Beverly nodded, still skeptical of Michonne's decision. "Michonne, is my grandbaby going to have a nice name or should I start thinking of nicknames now?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

Michonne laughed, her stomach bouncing as she did so. "You do not need to start thinking of nicknames."

Beverly laughed lightly and nodded, "Just thought I make sure." She said, before letting out a small yawn. "You and that belly ready to get up and show me to my room?"

Michonne nodded as she got up and walked towards the stairs, her mom following her. "We put a temporary guest bed in the nursery for you, so that'll be your room while you're here. The bathroom is across the hall and if you need us mine and Rick's room is the last one in the opposite direction. I'll give you the proper tour tomorrow." As she talked they moved through the house to the nursery.

"Wow, Rick listened well," Beverly said as she entered the nursery that she helped Rick decorate from New York.

Michonne chuckled a bit and nodded, "Yeah he did. Thanks for helping him with that."

"Did you cry when you saw it?"

Michonne nodded, "Mom, these hormones can make me cry if Carl stubs his toe too hard of course I cried."

Beverly laughed lightly, "I'm glad you liked it." There was a small silence before she continued. "I'm gonna get ready to sleep now so I'll see you all in the morning. You still an early bird?"

"Some things don't change," Michonne said with a small smirk. "Goodnight mom."

Beverly chuckled a bit and nodded, "Goodnight baby."

Michonne smiled as she turned and left the room. Once she entered her room she couldn't help but laugh lightly at Rick sprawled out on the bed. _And he says I talk up the bed_ she thought to herself as she nudged him lightly. "Move over Rocky."

Rick mumbled something incoherent as he moved over and Michonne chuckled again. She slipped into bed next to him and he wrapped his arm around her stomach as if it was a reflex and softly kissed her neck.

"You're mom made it?" He asked, in a hushed voice.

"Yeah, she's going to bed now. She said you did good on the nursery by the way."

Rick smiled a bit, "Glad she liked it." He said with a yawn.

"Go to bed, Rocky," Michonne said with a chuckle.

Rick kissed her neck again, "Night boss."

0000000000000000000000

 **The next morning**

"Dad, wake up!" Carl said gently tapping Rick's face in order to wake him up.

Michonne chuckled and lightly poked Rick, "Rocky, wake up before Carl misses the bus." Since starting her maternity leave Michonne had been the one getting Carl ready for school in the morning.

Rick groaned a bit and opened his eyes a bit. "Come here son." He said, wrapping an arm around Carl for a hug. "Have a good day in school, learn a lot. Love you."

Carl smiled happily, "love you too! Let's go Michonne!" He said happily turning towards the door.

Michonne chuckled a bit as she followed behind him, "you have an hour before you gotta get up or you're gonna be late Rocky."

"Mhmmmm…" Rick said already falling back asleep.

Michonne chuckled again, shaking her head as she left the room. She could hear her mom and Carl introducing themselves to herself as she made her way downstairs.

"I was just telling Carl how that pregnant belly slows you down," Beverley said with a smile.

"She also said we would make cookies today!" Carl said excitedly.

Michonne smiled, "if you do good in school and do your homework as soon as you get home you'll get cookies."

Carl nodded, approving of this deal. "Okay! Bye, Ms. Beverly we're gonna miss the bus!"

"I'll be right back mom," Michonne said as she and Carl walked towards the door.

Once they got to the bus they both hugged and Michonne gave him a kiss on the top of his head. "Enjoy school, Carl."

"Thanks! Don't have the baby when I'm gone!" He said happily giving her stomach a small tap before getting on the bus.

Once Michonne was back in the house she couldn't help but chuckle at her mother who was well on her way to making breakfast. "Mom, you know you don't have to make me breakfast."

Beverly shook her head as she cooked, "you think I'm not gonna cook for my granddaughter?"

Michonne laughed lightly, "you're already spoiling her. Did you bring down gifts for her in your suitcase too?"

"I know you already know the answer to that one, Michonne," Beverley said with a small smirk as she handed her plate. "Rick gonna come down to eat?"

"If I know him he will be running down those stairs in about…" she looked up at the clock "...15 minutes and I make sure he grabs a bagel before he leaves...can you toast a bagel for him, mom?" She asked with a smile.

Beverly chuckled and nodded, "yes baby," popping a bagel into the toaster. She paused for a moment, "you are so in love."

Michonne laughed bashfully, "Say these things in front of Rick he's gonna have a grin on his face the whole day."

Beverly laughed, "I'm just noticing! When you talk about him your face lights up just like when you were in high school."

"Alright, mom…" Michonne said with a wide smile, waving her mother off.

Right on time, Rick came down the stairs, dressed for work. He walked into the kitchen, despite being rushed still making sure that he gave Michonne a proper goodbye, "Gotta go Boss." He said as he then gave her several light kisses.

"Take your bagel, Rocky," Michonne said, handing it to him.

Rick smiled widely, "what would I do without you?"

"Starve."

Rick chuckled and nodded, "you're right." They shared a small look for a moment before Rick realized her mother was in the room. "Uh Beverly, I'm sorry I should have said hi to you." He said, greeting her with a hug and light kiss on the cheek.

"You two are just enamored with each other I'm just glad I was even noticed," Beverly said with a smile.

"Oh god mom…" Michonne said with a playful eye roll.

Rick chuckled, his smile wide. "Well, I'm gonna leave y'all two now before I'm late. We'll talk later Beverly. Love you boss." He said giving, Michonne several kisses again. "Don't have the baby when I'm gone." He gave her stomach a light kiss before waving goodbye to Beverly and leaving.

Once he was gone, Beverly turned to Michonne. "You two have some odd nicknames for each other."

Michonne chuckled, "it's a long story mom."

0000000000000

 **A few days later**

"Michonne, you know it doesn't hurt to just make sure you aren't in labor." Said Rick who was currently pacing around Michonne who was laying on the couch currently feeling stronger Braxton Hicks contractions than before.

"Rick…." She said, calmly her eyes closed. "I'm not in labor so please stop pacing before you burn a while in my floor."

Rick sighed but sat across from her, "They're stronger than before?"

"Mhm…" She said with a nod. "But I'm fine."

"She's still feeling contractions?" Asked Beverly who entered the living room after being in the kitchen.

"Yup," responded Rick, "I think we should just go to the hospital to make sure everything's fine."

"I agree with Rick." Said Beverly.

"Oh god, where's Carl? I need someone on my side." Said Michonne with a small smile. "The baby is not coming today, so let's just relax." She said as she opened her eyes and sat up on the couch. "The contractions are gone now...can you bring me a cookie mom?" She asked with a smile.

Beverly chuckled and nodded, "yes baby. Rick next time you want to get her to the hospital just grab her arms and I'll get her feet."

Michonne laughed, "This baby isn't gonna allow you two to carry me anywhere."

Rick laughed, moving to sit next to Michonne, "We'll see about that."

"You two are annoying," Michonne said with a smirk.

"It's nice to have someone on my side this time. You and Carl gang up on a guy sometimes."

"That's why he's my favorite," Michonne said with a wide smile.

"Whatever…," Rick said with a smile as he leaned into kiss her.

000000000000

 **A few hours later**

"Rick stop looking at me like I'm about to give birth right here…" Michonne said as she leaned against their dresser. It was now nighttime and her contractions that were coming and going for most of the day were now more consistent and stronger.

"Michonne, I know she's early but maybe…." Rick said as he watched her, attempting to not have his anxiousness wear on his face.

"It's too early Rick she still has a few more weeks…." Michonne said with a large exhale of air. "Okay, your kid is pushing on my bladder…." She said as she walked over to their bathroom.

"You know we're ready to go to the hospital if we need to boss, right?" He shouted over at her once she was in the bathroom.

"Yes, I know Rocky!" She responded. There were a few moments of silence before she exited the bathroom. "Rick…"

"Hm?"

"Let's go have this baby…." She said with a small smile.

Rick jumped up, "You're in labor? Are you sure you're in labor? 100 percent?"

"My water just broke so yeah I'm sure...Save your I told you so's for later." She said with a smirk.

Rick grinned widely, "okay so we're having a baby. Uh, what do we need? Okay uh, we need the hospital bags and gotta get you to the car. Gotta tell your mom. Oh, gotta call the school to say Carl will be out tomorrow...uh…"

Michonne chuckled a bit at the sight of a frazzled Rick, something that she doesn't see often. "Rick let's just get to the car okay? Oh…"

"What? Did we forget something?"

"Her name," Michonne said with a small chuckle. "Okay, you tell my mom I'm gonna go get her name from Carl."

"Alright but uh let's not take too long, okay?"

"Geez, who's the bossy one now?" Said Michonne with a smirk as she left the room to go over to Carl's room.

Michonne lightly knocked on Carl's door and then opened the door. He was already sleeping so she turned the light on and gently nudged him awake.

"Hmm?" Carl asked still half asleep, in the similar fashion that his father did when he was still half asleep.

"Carl, I think your baby sister is coming today. So, I need you to tell me what name was your favorite."

"What?" Carl asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "But it's too early…." He said with a slight pout.

"I know but babies come when they want to. And she's ready to meet you. And your dad. So we gotta have her name, don't you think?" She asked with a small smile.

"Is she gonna come tonight?"

"Maybe. Maybe tomorrow. But she'll be here very soon. You ready to be a big brother?" Michonne asked.

"I think it'll be fun!"

Michonne smiled and nodded, "It will be."

"Boss, we gotta go," Rick said, popping his head in.

"Your dad is a little nervous Carl, don't mind him." She said with a small smile, "okay, look. It's okay if you don't have a name picked out just tell me which one was your favorite from the very beginning? And that's the one we'll go with it." She leaned into him for him to whisper the name into her ear once he was done she smiled. "Good choice." She kissed him gently on the top of his head. "You're gonna be home for school tomorrow, okay? My mom will watch you. And we'll call you as soon as she's here. I love you."

Carl nodded and smiled, "love you too."

"Boss…." said Rick who was still waiting for her.

"Okay Rocky, I'm coming…" She said as she playfully rolled her eyes. "Are the bags in the car?"

"Everything's there except for you."

Michonne chuckled and nodded, "okay, I'm going, I'm going."

As Michonne made her way to the stairs Rick gave Carl a hug and a kiss on the forehead. "I love you son. Next time we come home we'll have a baby with us."

"Don't be nervous, dad!" Carl said with a smile.

Rick chuckled a bit, "thanks, son." He got up and left the room to see Michonne at the bottom of the stairs. "Contractions?"

"Yeah, that one was painful." She exhaled a breath, closed her eyes and then opened them again. "Alright, let's get this baby out of me."

Rick chuckled and wrapped an arm around her waist helping her to the door. "Let's."

00000000000000000000

 **A few moments later**

"Alright, so the munchkin is early, huh?" Said Dr. Denise as she entered the hospital room with a smile. Michonne and Rick had gotten there a few minutes earlier and now Michonne was laying in the hospital bed with a gown on.

"Yeah, I think she was growing tired of the living conditions in there." Said Michonne with a small smile.

Denise chuckled as she pulled her chair towards the end of the bed, "Well it's okay if she's a little early. She's fully developed so no worries. I'm just going to check to see how dilated you are...Okay, so 5 centimeters so you two will be here for a while. We're gonna keep checking until you're at 10 centimeters. In the meantime…" She paused, for a moment as she got up and prepared to leave the room. "Don't be nervous, okay? I'm looking at you, Rick…"

"Uh...sorry didn't realize it was that obvious." Said Rick.

"Don't be sorry. Just be calm. She's gonna need that once labor really starts up. I'll check on you guys in a bit." She said with a smile as he exited the room.

"Yeah, don't be nervous Rocky…" Michonne said with a half smile, in a teasing tone. Her eyes were closed as she felt contractions come through.

Rick chuckled a bit, he pulled up a chair to sit next to her, lightly stroking her hand as she did so. "How long are you gonna be telling stories about me being nervous today?"

"I think the last time I saw you like this you were asking me out. I'm gonna be telling…." She paused for a moment, feeling a contraction. "...everyone."

"How bad are they?" He asked, referring to her contractions.

"These aren't even the worst ones I'm gonna say sorry now because when she's ready to come out I'm not gonna be that nice." She said with a smirk.

"I was here when you first came back I think I could handle it," Rick responded with a smirk as well.

Michonne laughed lightly, "Oh yeah...I was mean to you. Sorry about that. What are you a glutton for punishment?"

Rick laughed as they then shared a moment of silence before speaking again. "I knew as soon as I saw you, ' _I leave you for 5 minutes and you turn into some bad ass'_ " He said, mimicking her first words to him.

Michonne laughed, lightly hitting his hand, "I do not sound like that!"

Rick laughed and nodded, "You do! Anyway, I knew as soon as I saw you that I was...still in love with you. It was like...I always thought I never stopped loving you. Like how everyone says that with their first love, you know? But seeing you I was like...fuck...I'm in trouble."

Michonne laughed lightly, "You knew you were in trouble?"

"Oh definitely. You came back here...looking all beautiful. Grumpy. But beautiful." Rick said with a grin. "And you live on the same street I do? You're telling me that wasn't a sign?"

"It's not my fault Kings County doesn't have a million places to live in. It's hard to get a house around here when no one will move out." Michonne said with a smirk.

Rick chuckled, "Well I think it meant something. The person who lived there could have left a month later and then who knows you may have moved somewhere else by then…"

"No Rocky, I think...I think I would have made it work to come back here. I needed to see if you were still here. I was mean to you but I wanted you around. I didn't show it but even in the beginning, you made me happier Rick. Just being with you...even when you were annoying me." She said with a wide smile.

Rick chuckled a bit, "You came a long way boss…"

Michonne smiled softly, "So did you, Rocky. I'm proud of you…" There was a pause. "You know I can't fall asleep without you anymore? I didn't even want to cuddle with you when I first came back."

Rick nodded, "Oh I know. The lights are always on when I come in the room and you always look like you're half asleep but wanna stay up. Like a kid on Christmas eve."

Michonne chuckled, "You're a good person to sleep with!"

"Oh, I know…" Rick said with a wide grin.

Michonne laughed, lightly hitting his hand again. "Leave me alone."

"Never."

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 **Several hours later**

"Rick….tell the nurse...this baby is about to…..crawl out of me…." Michonne said, through heavy breathing, her contractions now at their strongest.

Rick jumped up, nodding. "Uh yeah, okay I'll get the nurse." He quickly left the room for a minute to come back with a nurse.

"Fuck...Rick I'm never letting you do this to me again…"

"So do you want another kid?" Rick said with a grin which was quickly meant by a glare from Michonne. "Uh...yeah I think she's ready for this kid to come," Rick said with a small smile to the nurse.

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 **A few moments later**

"Good job, momma. I see her head so you're almost done. One more push."

"You said that a 5 pushes ago…" Michonne said with a slight smirk before pushing again. As she pushed she squeezed Rick's hand.

"Jesus boss you got some grip on you…." Rick said once she was done pushing.

"Remember that next time you annoy me…" Michonne said with a slight smile.

"Okay, we're almost done. For real this time. Big push momma." Said Dr. Denise

Michonne breathed in for a moment before pushing once more.

"Hello munchkin…." Said Dr. Denise, there was a slight pause before a loud cry washed over the room. "There she is. Want to come cut the cord dad?"

Rick smiled widely and nodded, "yeah, yeah, where do I cut?"

"Right here… okay, good job. We're gonna clean her off for you." Said Dr. Denise.

"She's here?" Michonne asked Rick with a relieved smile, tears forming in her eyes.

Rick smiled and nodded, kissing her on the forehead. "She is."

"Okay, here she is," Denise said, bringing the new baby who was wrapped in a blanket, handing her to Michonne.

"Oh my god…." Michonne said quietly to herself. Their baby was of the complexion of the beginning stages of caramel that would darken a few shades in the upcoming weeks, there was already a tuft of black curls laying on her head, her eyes were half open and light brown. She had his square jaw and slender nose and her full lips and almond-shaped eyes. "Jesus she's beautiful…"

"Looks like her mom," Rick said, smiling down at the baby. "How much does she weigh?" He asked to no one in particular.

"7 pounds and 6 ounces. What name would you like on the birth certificate?" Asked a nurse.

There was silence for a moment before Rick nudged Michonne who was completely engulfed with her new baby. "I think you have the answer to that question Boss."

"Oh sorry. Her name is Judith. Judith Grimes."

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The room had now quieted as the new addition was brought to the nursery for the night, being born at 3:31 in the morning. Now a few hours later Michonne and Rick were both nearly asleep.

"Rocky…" Michonne said quietly, her voice tired. She remained in the hospital bed but loosely held Rick's hand.

"You need me to get you something?" Rick asked he sat in a chair next to her, his legs stretched out onto her bed.

"No…" There was a few moment of silence before she spoke again, "...We had a baby…." Despite it being dark in the room and her tiredness, the tone in her voice revealed the smile on her face.

Rick smiled and nodded, "That we did. You were amazing. She's amazing."

"She is...Thank you, Rick." She said, softly.

"For what?" He asked.

"For letting me be a mom again. I never saw it happening. And you made me feel...less scared of this whole thing. I think she's gonna be okay."

Rick leaned in, giving her hand a gentle kiss. "I know she'll be. I can't wait to see you with her some more. You're a natural mom, that didn't go away."

Michonne smiled softly, letting a small yawn out afterward. "I love you, Rick." She said, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"I love you too Michonne."

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It was now early afternoon and Michonne was beginning her day by breastfeeding Judith. "What time will my mom and Carl be here?" She asked Rick as he entered the room, bringing her food from the cafeteria.

"About an hour. Carl insisted that he bring something for Judith to read. I told him, 'son, she's not even close to being able to read yet.' He said, 'dad, she needs to start as soon as possible.' There was no talking him out of it." Rick said with a smirk as he shook his head.

Michonne chuckled, burping Judith as she did so. "He just want his baby sister to be a smartie, doesn't he? Yes, he does." She asked, her question directed to the newborn.

Rick smiled, as he watched her. "You realize how beautiful you look with her in your arms?"

Michonne smiled and shook her head, "Your daddy is so sappy but he's a cutie so we'll let him get away with it. Right? We'll let him get away with it? Yes, we will."

Rick chuckled, "Alright, let me take her before you fill her head with nonsense. Eat something before Carl comes you know you're going to need your energy for him."

Michonne chuckled and nodded, handing off Judith to Rick and taking the food she brought for him.

00000000000000000

 **About an hour later**

"Michonne! Dad!" Carl said, excitedly as he entered the room with Beverly.

"Hi Carl, I've missed you. Can I get a hug?" Michonne said with a smile as she embraced him, giving him a light kiss on the forehead. "You ready to meet your new sister?"

"Yes!" Carl said excitedly.

Michonne chuckled, "Okay, you gotta wash your hands first. And then sit down and your dad will bring to her….Mom the same rules apply to you." She said with a smirk.

Beverly laughed lightly, "Guess you're right back to being a bossy momma, huh?"

"Oh, she's always been bossy," Rick said, with a smirk as Carl sat down, ready for the baby. He took the baby from Michonne and sat next to Carl. "Okay, son so when you first hold a baby you gotta make sure your hands are clean. And then, for now, we always gotta hold her when me or Michonne are around okay? And then lastly, we always gotta support her head. You think you can handle all those rules?"

Carl nodded confidently, "I can!"

Rick smiled, "Alright. So here is your sister, Judith." He handed Judith to Carl, supporting his arms from below.

"Woah….are all babies this small?" Carl asked as he held her.

Michonne smiled as she watched him, "Yeah, she's a normal size for a baby. But some are a little bigger and some are a little smaller. Do you think she looks more like your dad or me?"

Carl thought for a moment, "...Her face is kind of all...squishy….it's hard to tell!"

Both Rick and Michonne laughed at his comment, "Mom, what do you think?"

Rick handed Judith to Beverly, allowing her to see who she thinks the baby looks more like.

"I think...she looks like a perfect combination of the both of you." Said Beverly with a smile. "I hope you two know this baby is about to be spoiled by her grandma…"

"Oh trust me we know," Michonne said with a smile. "Carl, your dad was telling me you were picking out comics for Judith?"

Carl nodded as he hopped out of his seat and brought his comics out of his backpack, sitting down next to Michonne. "Dad said she doesn't know how to read yet! But I think she will like to read these."

Michonne chuckled, "I think he just doesn't want any more comic readers in the house."

Rick let out a groan, "Beverly, I'm gonna need you to stick around before they start bringing Judith to their side."

Beverly chuckled, rocking Judith as she did so. "You should know by now if you bribe Michonne with some chocolate she'll always be on your side."

"Dad I like chocolate too!" Carl said, making sure to let his know that bribery in the form of chocolate will be acceptable to him.

Rick chuckled, "I'll remember that next time you agree with Michonne."

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 **The next day**

"Ready to bring Judith home?" Rick asked as they were preparing to leave the hospital.

"Yeah I think she's ready to go. You ready to go home with momma? Hm?" She asked Judith give her light kisses on the nose after questions. "Why can I feel daddy staring at us? Hm? Is he being a creep? I think so…." Michonne said with a smile.

Rick chuckled a bit, "I can't get over you with her."

Michonne smiled softly, "can you tell I'm obsessed with her?"

"Oh, I can definitely tell," Rick said with a grin. "Am I gonna be able to pry you from her?"

"Only when I'm sleeping," Michonne said with a smile as Judith began to stir, crying a bit. "Oh, I know I don't want daddy to take you from me either."

Rick chuckled, shaking his head. "I think she's crying for another reason and I'm pretty sure you can smell it."

Michonne laughed, "Okay, okay. I'll change her and then we can go."

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"Alright, Boss so when we get inside just relax. Sleep if you need to. All I need you to do is feed Judith and cuddle with her. We can do everything else." Rick said as they exited the car, his hand around her waist as Michonne held the baby.

"I promise I'll rest Rocky," Michonne said with a smile.

"I'm gonna remember those words," Rick said with a smirk as he opened the door for her.

They were both immediately greeted by a jumping, excited, Carl glad to have his family back at home. "Hi, dad! Hi, Michonne! Hi, Judith!"

Michonne laughed lightly at Carl's excitement. "Hi Carl, Judith is sleeping so let's use our inside voice okay? Were you being good with my mom?"

"He was great," Beverly said, entering the room. She gave both Rick and Michonne a hug to welcome them back. "How are you two? You need anything?"

Michonne shook her head, "We're good, mom. I'm gonna go put her down and I'll be back." She said as she began to make her way upstairs.

"Thanks for watching Carl for us Beverly. He could be a handful, you should go rest." Said Rick

Beverly shook her head, "Oh please you just had a daughter you go rest. I'll be fine."

Rick laughed a bit, "I see where Michonne gets her work ethic from. I am gonna help you clean at least."

Beverly chuckled, "Alright, just for a little bit."

000000000000

"Okay Rick, last time for to go on upstairs before I kick you out of your kitchen," Beverly said with a smirk, after about an hour of cleaning.

Rick chuckled, holding his hands up in defeat, "Alright, you win. Let me make sure Michonne isn't being productive up there." He said with a smile as he exited the kitchen and went upstairs.

He lightly tapped on their bedroom door before opening it and he smiled to himself. In a bassinet by the bed laid a sleeping Judith and right next to her laid an equally asleep Michonne. Rick chuckled a bit at the sight before slipping his shoes off to lay next to her. He laid beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist, causing Michonne to stir a bit.

"What happened to not being able to fall asleep without me?" Rick asked in a hushed tone.

Michonne let out a small chuckle, "You've been replaced, Rocky."

"In a matter of hours, a cute little baby girl just replaced me."

Michonne chuckled again, "You're annoying."

Rick smiled, gently stroking her hand. "I love you." He whispered to her. "I love you."

Michonne smiled, turning so she was now facing him. She gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "I love you too Rick." There was a small pause. "...Now let's sleep before she wakes up."

Rick chuckled and nodded, "Let's."

 **A/N: Alright wellllllll this just took forever to put up lol. Sorry guys I started writing this a few days ago and went to check something on the site and realized it's been over a month since I posted like?! It's been a mixture of laziness/a busy October/and the midst of school work. I think the premiere helped motivate me to write though cause that was depressing af tbh. I hopeeee to become more consistent with updates but I don't want to make any promises that can't be kept. Just know that no stories will be abandoned :). Hope to have an update out for something about you next week. Once again so sorry for this long as hell wait.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

 **A/N: Sooooooo is anyone still reading this lmao. My last update was last year! First of all, I apologize. I started my last year of grad school in January and just finally finished a few days ago. This year has been cray and I've barely had time to finish my assignments so writing for fun has truly been taken alllllll the way to the end of my list. Anyway, now that I'm done and have no other bs to write I can get back to doing things I enjoy, so for those who are still reading thank you, for those who aren't I understand and thank you for reading the earlier chapters, and for those who are just beginning thank you. Apologize in advance if this chapter is rusty, ya girl is rusty in the fan fic writing. I truly missed writing for fun yall have no idea.**

 **3 months later**

"Okay Judy so this is Spider-Man and _this_ is Green Goblin. He's the bad guy." Carl was currently slowly describing a comic strip to a 3-month-old Judith, as she laid her stomach and babbled as Carl described to her the current scene.

"We always choose Spider-Man because he's the good guy, got it?" As Carl was speaking Judith was giggling. She wore a light pastel yellow onesie. Three months later she had developed chubbier cheeks, her complexion now matching a cup of coffee with a splash of milk in it, and her features now more prominent, looking more and more like Michonne.

"Carl, something tells me she's not quite grasping the concept," Michonne said as she walked into the living room, still in her pajamas as she wore one of Rick's short sleeve brown shirts with her own cuffed pajama pants. Hair piled up on the top of her head, completing her lazy Sunday look. She scooped Judith into her arms, resting her on her hip. Judith smiled once she was in her mother's arm, swiping at one loc that had fallen from her mother's bun.

Carl sighed dramatically and nodded, "I think you're right. Next month maybe?" Carl said, as he visibly wondered how his sister was taking as long as his father to grasp these concepts.

Michonne chuckled and lightly kissed Carl's forehead and nodded. "Maybe. She's got my DNA so I believe in her. How about we put a pause on your comic teachings and we clean up a little, hm? Dad will be home soon." Michonne turned to Judith, "Are you excited for daddy to come home? Yes, I know, I know!" Michonne said with a grin as Judith excitedly babbled, evoking the same emotions her mother was giving her.

Rick had recently started night shifts, coming home in the mornings. The change included long phone calls with Michonne when nights at Kings County were fairly calm. Without Rick, at night Michonne made sure to have Carl in her bed as Judith slept beside them, not yet fully moved into her nursery. It was soon approaching 9 in the morning and Rick will be home soon.

"Mom, when will dad be back to regular shifts? He's kind of boring during the day." Carl said with a small pout. About a month ago Carl had begun calling Michonne mom, pointing out that if he says Michonne around Judith she may call her Michonne too. "You're a mom, so you should be called mom," Carl said simply. A month later and Michonne still had to stop herself from melting whenever Carl called her mom.

Michonne chuckled, "Well I know they have been looking for some new guys so maybe today will be his last day of working night." As soon as the words escaped her mouth, a lock turned and then a knob, Rick walked into the house.

"Dad!" Carl said as he jumped up excitedly, running toward his father and wrapping his arms around him.

Rick laughed lightly, kissing the top of his head. "Hey son," Rick looked up at Michonne, smiling at the sight of their baby in her arms. "Come 'ere, Momma." Carl, not being the only Grimes boy calling Michonne by her newly appointed name.

Michonne giggled a bit and walked over to Rick, giving his lips several small kisses. "Busy night Rocky?" She asked as Rick slipped Judith off of Michonne's hip, laying her on his chest.

"Not anything crazy. But I have good news...we got some new guys to cover the shift." Rick said with a smile.

"Finally!" Carl said dramatically and happily.

Rick chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, so I'll get 2 days off to adjust the sleep schedule. But um until then…." he let out a yawn, "I'm going to take a quick nap." As he spoke Judith let out a small yawn of her own and a quiet whine. "Oh, so you're tired too, huh? You want to take a nap? Let's take a nap." He spoke to Judith, lightly kissing her nose in between sentences.

Michonne smiled softly, "Yes go sleep. Carl, I think we have a mission to clean the kitchen."

Carl gasped excitedly, "Bye dad!" He said as he ran off to the kitchen.

Michonne and Rick shared a laugh, "Call me if she gets hungry. I'm glad you'll be back in bed at night. I missed you." Michonne said with a small smile.

"Mmm, what else you missed?" Rick said with a smirk, as he reached down to get a squeeze of his favorite body part of hers.

Michonne rolled her eyes playfully as Judith let out a louder whine this time. "Stop depriving my baby of sleep just because you want to flirt."

Rick chuckled, giving her butt a small tap before letting go. "Whatever you say Boss," He said, his eye lingering on her before he turned up the stairs.

Michonne shook her head as she watched him, his flirting never growing old. "Carl, you are so patient! Now let's get this mission started." She said as she joined Carl in the kitchen.

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Awoken by a cry and the bedroom door opening Rick was rubbing his eyes as Michonne picked up Judith from her crib, holding her in her arms. She sat next to Rick lightly shushing her.

"You're just like your daddy, cranky and hungry when you wake up," Michonne said with a smile as she began to breastfeed Judith.

Rick sat up, moving closer to Michonne as he chuckled. "Like father, like daughter." He said, lightly kissing Michonne's shoulder.

All three of them stayed in comfortable silence for a few minutes, Michonne feeding Judith and Rick lightly showering Michonne with kisses, taking in her scent as he did so.

"I missed you," Michonne said again, this time quietly to Rick, a small smile on her face as she began to lightly tap Judith's back so she could burp.

Rick smiled widely at her, now adjusting himself so his head was in Michonne's lap. "Happy I'll have a few days off?"

"So happy." She said with a soft smile, her eyes covered in love for him. She placed Judith on Rick's chest and he wrapped one arm around her as Judith lightly tapped his shirt.

"What you miss, momma?" Rick said smilingly as he bit his bottom lip. Even from below she was beautiful and if possible, since giving birth to Judith she seemed to glow even more.

Michonne giggled a bit, "I missed…. your arm around me when I slept. I missed...your snoring. And you do this thing when I wake up, I move your arm and you just put your arm right back. Like I'm not coming back." She smiled, remembering one morning when she woke Rick up by throwing a sock at him because he wouldn't let her go.

"I gotta say Boss having a baby makes you soft," Rick said with a wide grin as Michonne then lightly tapped him. "I'm just making sure you'll be coming back...the love of my life...I'm just making sure you ain't going anywhere."

"Never," Michonne said softly as she bent down to give Rick a gentle kiss.

"Mmm…" Rick said with a happy sigh. He loved his work and planned on working for a long time, but where he was most content, happy, was at home. His son, his daughter, and a woman who he thought his last memory of would be her parents driving her off to college.

"She fell asleep," Michonne noted, eyeing Judith who was now sound asleep on her father's chest. Rick gently picked her up, giving her to Michonne who put her in her crib.

"I'm going back to sleep too Boss," Said Rick who turned to his side and nuzzled his head in her stomach.

Michonne let out a small giggle tapping Rick on the shoulder. "Stop being annoying and sleep where you're supposed to."

Rick pulled away from her stomach slightly, "I don't know what you're talking about cause I'm meant to be sleeping right here." He said before nuzzling his head in her stomach.

Michonne let out another giggle, this time louder. She tapped him again, "Rick!"

"Michonne!" Rick mumbled back into her stomach. He nuzzled her stomach one more time, gaining his last giggle, before pulling away and laying at the head of the bed.

"About time Rocky," Michonne said as she moved towards the end of the bed. Before she could be out of bed she felt Rick pull her towards him. "Rocky, I gotta start preparing dinner."

"Just for a little bit. Carl's napping right?" Asked Rick and Michonne nodded. "Alright then come on...I missed you too, you know." He said with a small smile.

Michonne smiled gently, feeling herself melting for the second time today. She moved toward him, wrapping her arm around him and laying her head on his chest.

Rick squeezed her and kissed the top of her head. "I love you."

Michonne smiled softly, tracing her fingers on his chest. "I love you too, Rick."

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Reenergized after a nap and some sugar Carl was quite literally running around the house. Judith, on the other hand, was busy slapping her dad in the face and giggling at his reactions as the both of them sat in the kitchen as Michonne cooked.

"I think you taught our daughter how to hit at a young age." Said, Rick, as Carl came bolting in the kitchen.

"Is food ready yet?" He asked with a pout.

"Give it a few more laps around the house and it'll be done." Said Michonne with a smirk as Carl nodded and sprinted out of the kitchen. She then walked over to Rick and Judith, taking Judith from Rick's arms. "I remember the times your daddy was better at taking a hit." Said Michonne with a sly smile.

"Haha." Said Rick sarcastically. "I can already tell she's gonna have some attitude like her momma."

"Mmm, say 'dad, girls with attitudes get things done.'" Said Michonne to which Judith replied with a babble. "You heard that? She definitely agrees." Michonne said with a smile.

Rick chuckled, "Whatever you say, Momma."

000000000000000

After putting both kids to bed Rick walked into the room to hear the shower running. Without much thought, he took the baby monitor and entered their bathroom. "Want some company?" He asked Michonne who was currently sudsy in the steam filled bathroom.

Michonne smirked to herself and turned to him, allowing him to fully take in her body shining from the water. "Did you bring the baby monitor?" She asked to which Rick responded by waving it and placing it on the bathroom vanity. "So what are you waiting for Rocky?" She asked with a sly smile, giggling a bit at the speed Rick removed his clothes.

Once in the shower, Rick wrapped his arms around Michonne's waist, pressing himself against her. "I missed you…" He said for the second time today as he kissed and sucked on her neck, one hand trailing up her back and the other hand trailing down to cup her ass.

"Mmm…" Michonne said lightly, tilting her head back for him. "How much?"

"More than I can take…" Rick said as his lips trailed down her neck and to her breast, lightly licking around her nipples. He moved one hand around, bringing his index finger to her increasingly wet folds, he smiled as he heard a moan escape her.

"Rick…" Michonne said, her breath quickening.

Rick quicken his pace at her moans, his hardening dick pressing against her inner thigh.

"Fuck...Rick, fuck…" Michonne's moans spilling out of her mouth as she felt her body tensing and releasing. Once she felt Ricks' fingers escape her folds she lightly brushed his dick that jumped at her touch. "More." She simply said her eyes locked with his.

Without another word Rick leaned Michonne against the shower wall, he gripped her left thigh raising it to him as he then slipped inside her. The both of them sharing moans as if it were their first time all over again. Rick buried his head in the crook of her neck allowing Michonne to lightly tug his hair as he thrusted into her.

Michonne followed each thrust with a small gasp and a tighter grip on his hair. "Ri...ck... Oh my god...fuck…" She said her words breathy and her eyes half closed.

"Shit…" Rick mumbled into her neck, now bucking faster and harder into her.

"Rick...Rick...Oh my god, oh my god…" Said Michonne her folds beginning to tighten around Rick as she could feel a rush of heat starting from her toes and rolling through her body.

"Michonne…." Rick moaned into her neck, feeling himself come soon after her, releasing himself in her. They both stayed attached for a few moments until their breathing and heart rate slowed and finally they separated, still remaining close.

"Tell your boss…" Michonne said in between soft kisses on Ricks lips "that if he ever puts you on night shift again…. I'm killing him." She said with a smirk.

Rick laughed lightly his nose brushing up against hers, "Will do."

Michonne chuckled a bit, "Good now let a girl shower Rocky."

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Michonne had a towel wrapped around her hair with one of Ricks shirts on as she finally left the shower, Rick already in bed.

"Took ya long enough…" Rick said with a smirk as he watched her apply lotion to her legs.

Michonne rolled her eyes with a small smile on her face, "Yeah, yeah." She began to crawl into bed beside him, "You know today 'Dre did the cutest thing he-" She stopped herself, realizing her mistake, a wash of confusion on her face. "Fuck...that was weird right?"

Rick looked at her intently, a familiar look from when Michonne would use to talk about Andre, "It's not that weird parents mix up their kids all the time…. But is he on your mind today?"

Michonne shook her head no, "No he just... popped up." She looked up at Rick noticing the look he was giving her. "Rick, I'm not sad okay? I can talk about Andre now and I'm not sad. It actually makes me happy thinking about him I just...wasn't expecting to say his name in that context, you know?"

Rick paused for a moment examining her expression for a little longer before nodding. Just a few months ago they wouldn't even be having this conversation however now she was able to give him so much more of her. "Tell me a happy memory of him."

Michonne thought for a moment and then smiled widely, "Dre was a hitter too, I think it's in my genes. Anyway, one-day Mike's brother was holding him. I didn't like his brother, I felt like he wasn't the best influence for Mike. But anyway, he's holding him, and I swear Dre understood exactly what I was saying, I told his brother to give me my baby because we were going to go soon. His brother basically said no that he wanted to hold him a little longer. And before I could do it my little fighter gave him the strongest whack on the eye." Michonne was now stifling her laughter as to not wake Judith. "His brother nearly dropped Dre trying to hold his eye. But I got my baby and he gave me the biggest smile…. You better watch out for Judith I already had one baby ready to defend my honor."

Rick laughed lightly at her story, enjoying seeing her happy when discussing Andre. "So you just raise fighters huh?"

Michonne shrugged and smiled, "I guess I do."

Rick wrapped around her stomach and gave her several light kisses on her cheek. "Thank you, momma."

Michonne smiled softly, laying her hand on top of his. "You don't have to thank me anymore when I talk about Dre, you know."

"But I always will," Rick said, giving her cheek another kiss. After a moment he spoke again, "You think you'll tell Judy about Andre?"

Michonne nodded, "Definitely. She's gonna ask one day about that third ultrasound on the mantle. I think it's important she knows that she has two older brothers looking after her."

"...Why are you so amazing?" Rick asked softly as if he was in awe of her.

Michonne giggled a bit, "Oh shush Rocky."

"No, seriously. Who gave you the right? Hm? Who allowed that? We need to have a conversation." As Rick spoke his kisses trailed down her neck, his nose lightly tickling her neck inciting giggles from her.

"Rick...you need to stop...before Judith wakes up." She said between giggles.

"You're gonna get her to slap me up too?" Rick said with a grin as he crawled on top of her, lightly holding her wrists as he continued to tickle her.

"Rick! Wait…" Said Michonne trying to speak in between her now full-blown laughter.

"Shh-" Rick began to say before he was cut off by a soft whine coming from Judith.

Michonne glared at Rick as they both remained still and quiet. She peered over at the crib, waiting to see if crying was coming. When she didn't hear any crying, she lightly tapped Rick on the forehead indicating that his fun was now over. "Wake up our baby again I'm gonna be training her for a lot more than a simple hit to the eye Rocky." She said with a smirk and a hushed voice as Rick cuddled up to her again.

"Yes, boss," Rick said with a sly smile, wrapping his arm around her again once she turned off the lamp on her end table. For several moments it was silent before Rick spoke again. "Do you want to get married Michonne?"

"... If this is you proposing Rick I'm gonna need to do better." Said Michonne the raised eyebrow and side eye implied in her words.

Rick chuckled a bit. "I'm not proposing. Just wondering. When we were in high school I knew the answer was yes but things changed. I've been married before; from what you tell me you didn't have plans on marrying Mike. So would you want to get married?"

Michonne was silent for a moment before turning to him so she was completely facing him, allowing Rick to see her face under the moonlight entering their room. "At some point in New York marriage just didn't feel important anymore. I told my mom that people can stay together for years and never marry each other and then when Dre died I was relieved I never got married." She paused again. "However, I think in some way, deep down I didn't want to get married because I knew I should be marrying you." Her voice became soft and a faint smile was worn on her lips. "It's not that I don't want to get married. I just that I don't want to get married to anyone else but you Rick."

Rick smiled softly, his cheeks slightly flushed under the moonlight. "That's good to know boss."

"... And I like a rose gold band with a princess cut diamond, Rocky."

"I don't even understand what that means Michonne."

Michonne chuckled, "So…. how are you gonna propose?"

"I don't even know yet!" Exclaimed Rick.

"Shh!"" Michonne said lightly hitting his chest. "Now...you expect me to believe that you…. Rick Grimes...Rocky...the sappiest boyfriend I've ever had doesn't know exactly how he is gonna propose?"

Rick paused for a moment then turned so his back was facing her, "I don't know what you're talking about...Goodnight momma."

"...I'm gonna get it out of you Rocky."

"Mhm…. Goodnight boss." Said Rick.

Michonne nudged Rick with her elbows, "Sleep properly."

Rick chuckled a bit, her insistence that she sleeps with his arm around her. He turned, wrapping his arm around her and kissing her forehead.

"Goodnight Rick," Michonne said softly.

 **A/N (again): Side note as I was reading this I noticed Rick and Michonne say I miss you a lot. This lowkey reminded me of how much I missed writing for my own enjoyment and missed yall. This story will be done veryyyyyyyy soon and it's definitely my personal favorite so I'm very glad I can finish it for yall, and if everyone stopped reading this at least for me. Also fyi Something About You will also get an update this week. Thank you for the faves/follows/reviews and for those who sent me pms during my break from writing.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18:**

 **A few weeks later**

Carl and Rick were enjoying some father and son time together, a Saturday at the park throwing a baseball around. They had just taken a brief water break, resting on the bench before getting back to it.

"You know Dad…" Carl began, "Mom says that Judy won't began talking tell she's 6 months, maybe later! But I think she's ready." Said, Carl, as if he and Judith shared their own secret on whether she could talk at three months or not.

"Oh really?" Said Rick with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "What's gonna be her first word then?"

"Carl, duh!" Said, Carl, as if it would be obvious.

Rick laughed heartily, "You're telling me it wouldn't be momma or dada?"

Carl adamantly shook his head, "Sorry dad, not this time."

Rick chuckled, "All I'm saying is if her first word is Carl I want to hear it straight from Judith's mouth and not someone else." Said Rick with a playful glare.

Carl smiled widely and nodded, "Oh trust me you'll hear it"

Rick chuckled and took his head, he took a slight pause before continuing. "You liking being a big brother Carl?"

Carl nodded and smiled, "Yeah, Mom was telling me that now I have to be a…" He paused thinking of the phrase Michonne used "...role model! I think so far, so good!" He said proudly.

Rick smiled and nodded, "I agree with you...Michonne loves the both of you, you know that right?"

Carl nodded, "Yeah she says a lot! But I love her too so it's okay."

Rick chuckled a bit "Yeahhhh she does say it a lot...I love her too. And you. And Judy…. And I've been thinking of asking Michonne to be my wife. What do you think of that?"

There was a pause as Carl was in thought for a moment, finally, he turned to his father. "Dad, I think if you want to marry Mom then you should because she makes you happy! And you make her happy! And isn't that why people get married?"

Rick smiled proudly, proud of his son for recognizing what Michonne brought into his world and what he brought to hers. "Yeah…. yeah I think you're right son."

Carl nodded, "Yup I am!" He said happily.

Rick chuckled, "Okay now Carl, I need you to keep this conversation between you and I, okay? I'm still looking for her princess...rose cut ring thing." Said Rick with a shake of his head.

Carl furrowed his brows, the same way his father would, "What?"

Rick sighed, "Exactly. I also have to call Grandma Beverly before I propose or she may never talk to me again."

Carl thought for a moment, "If she stops talking to you does that mean I won't get any more of her cookies?"

Rick laughed lightly, "You'll definitely still get cookies. Now me I'm not too sure about."

Carl paused slightly and then shrugged a bit before hopping off the bench. "So you should call her then!" Carl began to run towards the open field where they were playing, ready to get back to becoming the baseball player his dad was. "Come on, dad!" Carl shouted back to Rick.

Rick chuckled and then got up, following behind Carl. "Coming!"

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 **A few days later**

Rick was struggling with finding the perfect time to call Beverly, Michonne's mother, without raising suspicion. And now that Michonne was aware of marriage being on the table she...hovered, putting it nicely. However, with a small bribe of a comic and sworn secrecy seal with a pinky finger, Rick managed to get Michonne out of the house and to visit Glenn and Maggie and their baby who was a few months older than Judith with Carl.

Despite knowing that Beverly would approve of his marrying of her daughter Rick couldn't help but feel the same nervous feeling he had when he was reintroduced to her parents as her boyfriend, despite being friends for years. Rick held the phone to his ear, leaning against the kitchen counter, ringing a few times before Beverly spoke.

"And which person from the Grimes residence is calling me on this lovely day?" Said Beverly, a smile in her voice.

Rick chuckled slightly, "Hello Beverly, it's Rick."

"Hello, Rick. How is everyone? My daughter being nice to you?" She said with a small smirk.

Rick chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, I told her that having Judy has made her soft. I'll see how long it lasts."

"Don't hold your breath. Our feistiness just gets put on hold it doesn't end." Said Beverly.

"I'll make sure to keep that in mind…" Rick paused before continuing. "I uh...am actually calling you to tell you that I'm going to propose to Michonne."

There was another pause, a long one, one that made Rick wondered if the connection dropped before Beverly spoke again. "You know, Rick she told me that marriage was, and this was an exact quote, 'unnecessary in this day and age' when I asked her about marrying Mike."

"I know. We talked about it a few weeks ago actually, if she even wants to get married. And she told me that she didn't want to get married to anyone else that she wanted to marry me, which is why she couldn't marry Mike." Said Rick, recalling their conversation.

"Wow…." Said Beverly a warmth and happiness in her tone. "This sounds horrible but sometimes I wonder if Mike was always this...place holder for her…. I think even if life was perfect for her she would have made it back to Kings County for you Rick...Actually, I don't think she would've viewed life as perfect without you. You made my daughter happy so many years ago and after Andre, I honestly wasn't sure if I would see her so happy again. I'm glad you brought her out of darkness Rick, she deserves happiness. And so do you. So, yes, if Michonne says she wants to marry you, you should marry her."

Rick was silent for a moment as he chewed on his bottom lip, attempting to refrain from getting emotional. He hadn't heard their relationship or her feelings for him through someone else in a way that was so accurate it almost hurt. "Thank you Beverly...thank you." He said softly.

Beverly smiled, proud of both Rick and Michonne and their growth. "You're welcome, Rick. Now, did you get the ring?"

Rick chuckled a bit, "Yeah I did some searching. Michonne has specific taste."

"I'm afraid she gets that from her mother. I'll hope for your sake that Judy isn't the same way," said Beverly with a small chuckle, "And do you know how you're gonna propose to her?"

"I have two ideas that I haven't been able to choose between." Said Rick with a slight furrow of his brow.

"Well, Rick you know the type of girl Michonne is. All she needs to hear is the question and you already know the answer. Go with your gut."

Rick nodded, agreeing with her advice. "You're right...thank you again Beverly."

"Anything for my now future son in law. I'll be expecting to hear the news as soon as the ring is on her finger."

Rick chuckled, "Of course."

"Okay Rick, give a kiss to everyone for me especially my grand babies. I'll talk to you again once Michonne has a ring on her finger."

Rick chuckled again, "Yes, I will. Goodbye Beverly." Said, Rick, as he then lowered the phone from his ear and hung up. Rick smiled to himself as his conversation with Beverly had finally helped him in deciding on how he will be proposing to Michonne, deciding on an idea he's had since he first told her he loved her, many years ago.

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 **The Following Day**

Michonne was returning home from what Maggie had happily called a "momma's day" in which Judith and baby Hershel came with them for a mom date, while Rick was home and Carl was at school.

Now she entered the home, a diaper bag on one arm and Judith in her car seat in another one. With one foot in the door, she automatically called for Rick. "Rocky! I hope you spent your alone time cleaning!" She said with a small smirk to herself, not being able to help herself from harmless teasing. She took Judith out of her car seat and held her in arms, she sighed not hearing a response back. "What is daddy doing, huh? Didn't he say he wasn't going to do anything today?" She asked Judith who stared back in response.

"That's what I'm saying, Judy!" Michonne said in response to her child's stare. "Wait…. Do you hear music?" Asked Michonne as she listened to what sounded like faint music. "Rocky?!" She called again as she began to walk toward the stairs. "Rick Grimes, so you're just going to be home and listen to…." She paused for a moment before recognition set in her face and a soft smile came.

 _I had a vision of love. And it was all that you've given to me._

 _Their_ song. "Your dad is so sappy." Michonne said softly to Judith, who responded with a small giggle. Michonne shook her head a bit and continued up the stairs. She lightly tapped on the door and finally gained a response from Rick.

"Come in boss." He replied gently as Michonne opened the door.

There was a small gasp as Michonne entered. There were over a dozen roses on the bed, similar to when he showered her in roses in their teens. With the curtains drawn and a few candles, the room seemed to glow. And Rick, once her eyes laid on him she wondered what took her so long, in a navy blue suit that she loved him in, making his eyes even bluer. "Rick…" She said softly, as she felt Rick take Judith from her arms. She had clearly known that Rick would be proposing at some point but she could never imagine what it would look like in her head.

"Michonne…" Rick said in a similar tone with a small smile as he placed Judith in her crib and then walked back to Michonne. He stopped in front of her with only a small space separating them. "You ready?" He asked her.

Michonne nodded, "I'm definitely gonna cry but go okay Rick." She said, almost at a whisper like she was holding her breath.

Rick smiled and nodded as he began, "Uh, so I talked to your mom a few days ago. And she said I pulled you out of darkness. And I think some of that is true but I think you pulled me out of darkness too. It's...an uncomfortable feeling seeing the person you love drive away. And I know why you did, fuck Michonne I'm so proud of you I know you wouldn't be as successful if you stayed here. A lot of people told me that I would move on, that most high school relationships don't last so I forced myself to believe that so I could be okay. But then...you came back. Different, but you were back. And I knew all the things I was told weren't true and I still loved you like you never left. You were a tough shell to crack and I think...I wanted to focus on you so we can talk less about me and what I was going through." He paused for a moment lightly rubbing his thumb on her cheek that was beginning to get slightly damp.

He lightly stroked her cheek and smiled softly as he continued. "And then finally I was able to chip away at you and you were able to chip at me. I always thanked you when you gave me some of you because I knew it was hard. And I know sometimes it's still hard so thank you Michonne. Thank you for taking Carl in like a second son because my god...does that boy love you. You once asked me if you think you would be motherly with Carl. It comes so naturally to you though you were a beautiful mother with Andre I'm sure and you still are one. Judith…" Rick said with a happy and small sigh. "Is amazing. I know you were scared at the thought of having another baby but I'm proud of you Michonne because that fear didn't stop you from loving our daughter unconditionally."

Rick smiled at her again, releasing his hand from her cheek. "Michonne I was sure I would marry you when we were in high school. It was just a matter of when. And now, ten years later I know when." Rick slipped a small black box from his inside jacket pocket and he bent down to one knee. "Michonne...Boss...will you marry me?" He asked opening the small box, showing a ring with a princess cut diamond with several small diamonds around it and a rose gold band.

"Jesus Rick…" Michonne said softly, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Rick...of course, of course, I will marry you." She said with a bright and happy smile.

Rick grinned up at her and slipped her ring on her left ring finger. He got up from his bent knee and wrapped his arms tight around her. He leaned in and kissed her deeply their tongues lightly playing with each other. After several minutes they pulled away and brushed their noses against each other.

"I love you, Rick Grimes. I love you so much." Michonne said, her eyes slightly closed and her voice still soft like the love in their room was quieting her.

Rick squeezed her and buried his head in the crook of her neck. After a moment he looked up at her, "Is the ring what you wanted?"

Michonne nodded, taking a moment to gaze at her new ring. "It's perfect." She said as she lightly played with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Not as perfect as you…" Rick mumbled into her neck as he moved his hands down her waist and down to right under her butt, lightly picking her up as Michonne giggled.

Rick lightly dropped her on the bed, he broke away from her for a moment to take off his jacket, reconnecting with her with a kiss sliding his tongue into her mouth and hers into his. They stayed like this for several minutes his hands exploring her body like it was brand new and her hands tangled in his hair.

After a moment Rick pulled away, remembering a promise he made a day ago. "I just remembered...I promised your mom you would call her as soon as that ring got on your finger.

Michonne giggled lightly, finding it cute that Rick couldn't help but keep his word despite his own mild annoyance at himself. She gave him several soft kisses on the lips, "You are so cute, Rocky. Now get up," she said with a light tap on his shoulder.

Rick pouted slightly but got off of her, "You know this is to be continued don't you Boss?"

Michonne smirked and playfully rolled her eyes, "I don't know what you're talking about Rocky." She gave him a sly smile before leaving her room with a small wave.

Rick chuckled and shook his head. He followed after her after a few minutes to hear his future wife talking to her mother about the proposal. He smiled to himself just hearing her describe it.

Her words carried her love for him and even without looking at her you can tell she was in love.

And he was in love with her, her spirit, her smile, the way she walked into a room, her soft "good morning," he was amazed by her. Michonne rounded the corner and noticed Rick at the top of the stairs and she smiled. "You were waiting for me, Rocky?" She asked as she began walking back up the stairs.

Rick smiled, meeting her at the top of the stairs. "I'll always be waiting for you." He said softly.

Michonne giggled a bit and kissed him lightly, "You're so sappy."

"Mhm…Come on before Carl gets home." Rick said with a smirk.

Michonne giggled again, "You're pretty horny as fiancée Rocky."

Rick chuckled as he pulled her into their bedroom, "Whatever Boss."

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"Dad!" Carl said excitedly as he met his father outside of their home, hopping off the school bus.

Rick smiled and lightly kissed the top of Carl's head and then ruffled his hair. Now, a few hours later Rick was in his usual clothes while home, a pair of sweatpants and a shirt he had to steal back from Michonne as she had grown more and more accustomed to using his shirts as her own. "Hey son, how was school today?" He asked as they walked into their home.

"It was boooooooooooring. But gym was fun!" Carl said happily.

Rick chuckled, "That's what you say every day!"

Carl shrugged, "Cause it's true!"

As they spoke Michonne rounded a corner with a baby monitor in one hand, as Judith was sleeping upstairs, and her new engagement ring on her other hand. "Carl you're just gonna come in the house and not give me a hug?" Said Michonne with a raised eyebrow.

Carl laughed lightly before going over to Michonne and giving her a hug. "Hi, mom! Whatcha do today?"

"Well…" Michonne began, "I went to see Maggie and Hershel and brought your sister with me. And then I came home and there was a big change! Can you guess what it is?" She asked him.

Carl squinted his eyes and furrowed his brow like his father often did, he looked around the house trying to see what had changed. After a few minutes, he looked back at Michonne and shrugged, "What changed?"

Rick chuckled, "Son, do you remember when we went to the park and we had that talk? And I told you about that question I was thinking of asking Michonne?"

Carl paused for a moment and then nodded, remembering. "Dad, I thought that was a secret!" He said with a slight pout.

Rick chuckled again, "I asked her Carl. I asked Michonne to marry me and she said yes." He said with a bright smile.

Carl's eyes lit up and he smiled, "Dad I told you so!"

Rick laughed lightly, "Yeah, yeah…"

"Carl, I know you know that your dad makes me very happy. I love him. And I love you and your sister too." Michonne gave Carl a light kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your family."

Carl smiled, giving her a light hug. "You fit in as soon as you said you read comics!" Carl said happily.

Michonne smiled softly, "You're pretty easy to win over kid." As she spoke she heard a soft whine come from the baby monitor. "Come say hi to Judy with me she hears you. Rocky, make sure the food doesn't burn!"

"How are you still bossy with an engagement ring on?" Rick asked with a small smirk as Michonne and Carl made their way upstairs.

"And what's the fun in not being bossy?" Replied Michonne with a similar smirk.

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"Peek-a-boo!" Said Michonne who was now playing with Judith who was currently surrounded by pillows on Rick and Michonne's bed. Judith giggled as her mom revealed her face again, lightly hitting Michonne's nose as she did so.

"You're just wide awake aren't you?" Asked Michonne to Judith who responded with a gummy smile. "Why can't you go to sleep nicely like your brother?" Asked Michonne with a raised eyebrow as Rick entered the room after completing his nightly tradition with Carl.

Rick chuckled and sat next to them, scooping Judith up in his arms. "You know there were some nights when Carl was a baby and he couldn't sleep…"

"Oh, so these were the genes you provided for our baby?" Said Michonne with a smirk.

Rick laughed lightly, gently rocking Judith in his arms. "And you gave her the 7 am wake up call. Now watch and learn boss." Rick held Judith in one arm and lightly began to apply pressure in small circular motions, lightly massaging her. "You read about giving the kid a massage in your books momma?" Rick asked.

Michonne smiled, admiring Rick with Judith in his arms. "Yes, Rocky I have. But they never worked for me, you must have the magic touch."

"In more way than one…" Rick mumbled with a small smirk.

Michonne laughed, hitting him on his leg as she did so. "Shut up Rocky!"

Rick laughed along with her, shushing Michonne afterward. "She's almost sleeping boss!"

Michonne chuckled a bit and nodded, "Okay, I'm done." They were both silent for several minutes, Rick lightly massaging Judith as her eyes grew heavier and Michonne clearly in love with them both. Finally, Judith fell asleep and Rick gently got off the bed, placing in her crib so she wouldn't wake up again. He slipped back into bed, a grin on his face showing that he was pleased himself.

Michonne giggled lightly and then cuddled up to him, laying her head on his chest. "What kind of wedding do you want Rick?"

Rick thought for a moment and shrugged a bit, "I guess something small...my wedding with Lori was huge I think we invited everyone one in town."

Michonne chuckled a bit, "I agree with you, I want something small...intimate…" She paused for a moment and looked up at him, smilingly softly.

Rick smiled back down at her, "Whatchu thinking about momma?"

"I'm just...very happy I came home…" Michonne said softly.

Rick lightly kissed the top of her head, squeezing her for a moment. "I'm glad you did too. I don't know what I'd be doing if you hadn't."

"Still fulfilling your dreams of Rocky." Said Michonne with a small smirk.

Rick chuckled a bit, "Yeah, yeah still fulfilling my dreams. What about you? Where else would've you ended up going?"

Michonne shrugged, "I don't know. I was thinking of Chicago for a while and then...one day I ended up on a page listing homes in Kings County. And it felt...right. And then I realized you would probably still be here and then it was like a sense of comfort. Even though there was a chance you were with someone else. It was still comforting to know you were there. Where you are is where comfort is...where home is." Michonne said as she traced his chest with her fingers.

"You definitely make this place a home...it was kind of crazy without you...I was kind of crazy without you." Said Rick gently.

Michonne reached up to kiss him softly on the lips a few times before breaking away, "Now look at you marrying the prettiest girl on the block." She said with a wide smile.

Rick laughed lightly, "I said that one time when we were dating I can't believe you still remember."

"Why wouldn't I remember facts?" Michonne asked as she grinned widely.

Rick chuckled as they began to playfully go back and forth. Rick protesting that he was a love sick kid when he described her as the prettiest girl on the block and Michonne proclaiming that he is still love sick. The two of them spent the rest of their night like this, quietly laughing, soft kisses, and discussing their past as well as their present. As young kids, the thoughts of them dating grossed them out but now as adults, the idea of being separated from each other again seemed unimaginable. They were able to rebuild themselves with the help of each other, now laughing in bed with each other with Carl in one room and Judith in theirs. No longer lost in a dark place.

 **A/N: First of all I just wanted to say thank you for everyone who congratulated me on finishing school it means a lot :) Also I truly wasn't expecting that many of y'all to still be reading so thanks so much! It was so nice to see the familiar usernames in my email once again. The next part of this story will be the epilogue! I'm glad I will finally be finishing this story after so long, as of right now I think it's my favorite as I love me some angst haha. Also, I recently heard a song called Blessed by Daniel Ceaser that reminds me so much of richonne in this fic it's crazy, it may make an appearance in the epilogue tbh that's how perfect it is. Thank you for the continued fave/follows/ and reviews. This fandom is one of the sweetest.**


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